Second in class for media duo Jardine and Cary on Woodpecker Stages Rally

With a weekend off from the Formula One paddock, Tom Cary, F1 correspondent for the Daily Telegraph newspaper, embarked on his second ever national rally as co-driver to broadcaster Tony Jardine. Ludlow provided the backdrop for the Woodpecker Stages Rally (5 September), where Jardine and Cary finished second in class N3 in their Castrol-backed Ford Fiesta ST.

Jardine challenged Cary this year to obtain his international navigators’ licence, with the aim of entering Rally Scotland, the final round of the highly-popular Intercontinental Rally Challenge(IRC), which is currently led by British driver Kris Meeke. If they are successful in Perthshire, the ultimate goal is then to compete in next February’s World Rally Championship event in the icy wastelands of Sweden.

Having  now  secured  three  signatures  on  his  licence,  but  requiring  a  total  of  five  to  reach international status, Cary still has a great deal of hard work ahead of him. However, the team’s result of 45th overall on the Woodpecker takes him one step closer to taking part at IRC level.

Cary  said,  "It’s  been  great  this  weekend,  we  hit  the  ground  running.  I  had  forgotten  a  few things  as  it’s  been  a  while  since  the  Swansea  Bay  Rally  but  it  all  came  back  fairly  quickly. There were a couple of big accidents on the second stage which was a bit nerve-wracking and we went past an upside down car, but Tony did very well. Also, I was a little late on some of the pace note calls but the timing is coming back and I’m generally feeling more confident. I have  learnt  here  that  the  first  rule  of  being  a  co-driver  is  to  remember  your  watch,  and  I managed to forget that - I was very kindly loaned one!”

Despite  problems  engaging  fourth  gear  for  most  of  the  rally,  Jardine  was  pleased  with  the ProSpeed prepared Ford Fiesta and its performance on Kumho tyres. Jardine said, “We were hampered by a reluctant fourth gear throughout the event which cost us some time and the brakes also overheated this morning, so they had to be bled. However, we soared in the later stages as Tom’s confidence increased. His competitive edge is now starting to show through which is why we achieved such a great result together. As always, it was a pleasure to work with the ProSpeed team as they are such a professional outfit and the Fiesta kept going and got us to the finish.”

Although Jardine often takes part in rallies and has over thirty years of rallying experience, the motorsport pundit also enjoys circuit racing and especially the prestigious annual Goodwood Revival meeting. Jardine will be taking part in this year’s event on 18-20 September, driving a Mini Cooper S and a race-prepared Ferrari 250 Lusso

National sports journalist overcomes obstacles and last-minute hitches to win class in tough Welsh rally

Tom  Cary,  Formula  One  correspondent  for  the  Daily  Telegraph  newspaper,  achieved  an amazing first-in-class finish on his rally debut in the Pro Art Signs Swansea Bay National Rally in Wales on Saturday 18 July.

Teaming up with Sky Sports presenter and rally driver Tony Jardine, Cary from Wandsworth in London, made a startling rookie debut by winning first place in the two-wheel-drive class and finishing  eleventh  overall  as  he  started  his  quest  to  become  a  fully-fledged  internationally licensed co-driver in time for Rally Scotland in November.

Despite a major glitch late on Friday night before the start of the rally Cary managed to keep his  cool  whilst  insurance  wrangles  threatened  a  non-start  for  the  journalist  in  his  vital  first event.  At  the  eleventh  hour  matters  were  resolved  and  reserve  co-driver  Michael  Weeks, Competitions  Manager  of  the  Southern  Car  Club,  was  asked  to  stand  down  as  Cary  once again prepared mentally to start his first rally.

Amazingly  the  new  duo  of  Jardine  and  Cary  found  themselves  fighting for a class win and, despite a puncture which necessitated a rapid wheel change from the new team mates, the Kumho-shod Castrol Fiesta was soon on its way to a podium finish. Driving in the Daily Telegraph-supported ProSpeed team run by Olly Marshall, Tony Jardine was impressed by his new co-driver Tom Cary on his very first event. “Tom has had just four hours of tuition at the Silverstone Experience Centre with an instructor and his mentor World Champion  rally  co-driver  Robert  Reid.  Despite  this  I  was  really  impressed  by  his  general understanding of his complex job and how quickly he got to grips with rally timing, navigation and  pace  note  calling.  I  have  a  very  strong  feeling  Tom  will  become  a  very  competent international co-driver.”

ProSpeed team boss Olly Marshall commented, “Tony has brought quite a few media partners to the ProSpeed team over the years but never has one made such a successful debut as Tom Cary. He not only won the two-wheel drive category, he also won his class and he impressed myself and the team. I hope he can keep this up for the next event in early September – lets hope he can cope with the time gap. It is very rare for us to suffer a puncture, as our Kumho tyres are not only tough but they provide fantastic grip. However, Tony and Tom were really hanging it out over the last two stages and clearly picked up a flint in the undergrowth – I wish Tony would learn to drive more tidily.”

Arai  helmets  rushed  through  a  replacement  crash  helmet  for  journalist  Cary  after  his  initial helmet proved to be too small in size, compressing his forehead. Once he obtained the correct fit, Tom was very comfortable with his new safety kit including his Alpinestars fireproof suit, and seemed to fit instantly into the rally environment.

 Tom Cary said, “I had a great team around me and everything just seemed to gel but it was incredibly hard work - quite unlike anything I have been used to in any other sport. But it was such a thrill I am sure I am going to be able to convey that to our readers – now I’m really up for the next event, the Woodpecker Rally in early September.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography: Mark Simpson / CMWI