National journalist left in the lurch by media colleague

Olly Marshall, team boss of ProSpeed Motorsport and a former top-level rally driver, has had to step in at the last moment to rescue journalist Tom Cary’s rally challenge. Marshall has been forced to take the wheel, with Cary navigating, after usual driver, Sky Sports’ Tony Jardine, was forced to pull out of next weekend’s UTS Cheviot Stages (25 October).

Cary,  the  F1  correspondent  of  The  Daily  Telegraph,  is  at a critical point of his challenge to qualify as an international rally co-driver, allowing him to take part in two top-flight international events.   November’s   Rally   Scotland,   part   of   the   Intercontinental   Rally   Challenge,   and February’s WRC Swedish Rally are Cary’s goals. The novice, who only picked up pace notes for the first time in July, has to finish two more rallies under supervision to gain the valuable upgrade signatures to his national licence.

Whilst  Cary  was  sympathetic  to  Jardine’s  call  to  appear  live  for  Sky,  he  felt  the  campaign faltering until Marshall reluctantly stepped in. Cary said, “We have just two events left on the schedule that we must finish if I am to qualify, so naturally I felt left in the lurch until Olly kindly stepped  in,  albeit  after  a  great  deal  of  pressure  from  within  the  Castrol  team.  Time  is  tight. There  is  a  lot  of  pressure,  not just to learn the ropes in a short amount of time, but also to reach the finish of each event. Otherwise I don’t qualify.”

Cary gave an example of just how easy it is for the programme to go off the rails, “While I was away on F1 work in Japan, Tony competed in the Colin McRae Stages with the editor of Motor Sport magazine and promptly had a big crash tearing the suspension off our Castrol Fiesta, leaving a lot of chassis straightening work for the ProSpeed team. That could have been one of my qualifying events and would have left us in trouble. So I hope Olly will not go mad on the Cheviot Stages, he hasn’t driven a rally car in anger for a long time.”

The UTS Cheviot Keith Knox Stages is a round of the MSA Tarmac Championship held on ultra-fast, narrow, sealed surfaces on military ranges in Otterburn in the North East. With blind, flat-out crests and many deceptive bends to catch drivers out, there have been some bruising and spectacular accidents over the years. So much so that no spectators are allowed near any of the jumps and are restricted to viewing in just one area.

Tyre supplier to the team and Kumho Tyres chief, Steve Thompson, has been in touch with ProSpeed  boss  Olly  Marshall  who  was  contracted  to  Kumho  during  his  own rally  career,  to wish him luck. Thompson said, “I think he is a bit nervous, but we talked of the special tarmac tyre requirements for the Cheviot and have dispatched our latest slick and wet weather tyres to reassure him we will be right underneath him and Tom!”

Olly  Marshall  has  not  competed  in  a  rally  car  since  2005  as  he  has  been  concentrating  on building  up  his  PoSpeed  rally  preparation  business.  However,  he  has  reluctantly  agreed  to make a return to the cockpit, “It has been very much last minute, but Tony and our on-event technician  Andy  Beale  from  McLaren,  felt  I had no option but to step in and make sure the Daily  Telegraph  campaign  stayed  on  track  for  Tom’s  sake.  Although  I  am  very  rusty  and somewhat nervous, I have assured Tom that I will do my best to at least keep the car on track.”

Jardine will be working in Sky Sports studios in London during the early hours of Saturday and Sunday  morning  (24-25 October)  covering  the  first  round  of  the  latest  A1GP  World  Cup  of Motorsport taking place at the Gold Coast in Australia. As soon as the transmission ends he intends to race up north to support the team. “I hope to be out of Sky’s studios by early on the Sunday and should arrive in time to support the team and check on progress by lunchtime. Olly and Tom have 100 miles of very fast, deceptive stages to cover, but this will be a cracking test of Tom’s pace note delivery to a former top driver. Hopefully it will provide proof that Olly has not lost his touch behind the wheel.”

Motor Sport Magazine editor to settle unfinished business on legendary Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally

Sky motorsports presenter Tony Jardine will return to his Scottish family roots this weekend (Saturday 3 October) as he makes his debut on the legendary Colin McRae Forest Stages Rally near Perth in Scotland. The event is supported by the famous rally family of the late World Rally Champion Colin McRae and his multi-rally Champion father Jimmy McRae, who is set to advise Jardine and the ProSpeed team on the challenging stages.

Motor Sport Magazine editor Damien Smith will be navigating on only his second ever rally, both times co-driving for Jardine. Smith will be replacing the Daily Telegraph’s F1 correspondent, Tom Cary, who is currently on Grand Prix duty in Japan before resuming his campaign with the Castrol / ProSpeed team to become a fully fledged international co-driver for Rally Scotland in November, the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC).

Substitute Smith proved to be the most nervous journalist navigator the team had encountered, prior to his first event last year. However, as soon as the Swansea Bay Rally 2008 got underway, the Motor Sport editor performed well from the navigator’s seat, helping the Kumho shod car to second in class until a shock mechanical retirement.

Smith commented on his debut last year, “I have to admit I was worried and I couldn’t sleep the night before, but when we started I was OK. I had calmed my nerves and we were flying, challenging for the class lead when we ground to a halt with transmission problems. The Colin McRae Stages is not just a chance to meet and interview five times British Champion Jimmy McRae, this is also about unfinished business. I want a podium finish!”

For Jardine, this event will draw him back to his family roots and relatives still living in the Dumfries area. Jardine said, “I have always wanted to compete on this event, now more so because of my memories of Colin McRae who I worked with in his early Subaru years. His father Jimmy has always been helpful with my own rally career and has kindly invited me to join the Colin McRae Forest Stages rally forum panel on the Friday night before the rally. It will be a privilege to take part this weekend.”

In addition, there is another important reason why the Castrol / ProSpeed team are to compete in this event, as ProSpeed boss Olly Marshall explains, “Whilst it’s great to welcome Damien back to the hot seat alongside Tony, he also has an important job to do for his fellow journalist Tom Cary for when he returns to the team. Some of the stages on this rally form the basis of Rally Scotland in November, a number of which haven’t been used for twenty years! It is vital for Damien to make accurate notes and gather as much information as possible for Tom, who will need all the help he can get when he makes his international debut. The Rally Scotlandstages are pretty daunting and some will be held in the dark.

“We are looking forward to receiving advice from Jimmy McRae, as he knows the contours of these stages like the back of his hand.”

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