While many 16 year-olds are recuperating from their GCSEs by plugging-in to their PlayStations, Xboxes or Wiis, one Aberdovey schoolboy is going rallying for real.
Tom Cave is competing in the Latvian Rally Championship this year and tomorrow sees the start of his season, as he competes on the two-day Talsi Rally at the wheel of a state-of-the-art Ford Fiesta rally car.
Cave is no stranger to rallying - his father Peter, proprietor of the Trefeddian Hotel in Aberdovey, has been rallying for years, and to many it was inevitable that Tom would follow suit, given his love of the sport.
The big problem in the UK however, is that youngsters can’t get a licence to go rallying until they pass their driving test and get their road licence. In Latvia though, they can start from the age of 14, making it a perfect training ground for aspiring British rally drivers.
It is this fact and Tom’s competition in Latvia last year that inspired a new scheme in the UK, Junior Rallying.
This has been created to provide young drivers from the age of 14 with the skills and experience to begin their rallying career and Tom remains a figurehead of the scheme, which currently has four other drivers competing in the Baltic state.
Tom’s father Peter was keen to give him the opportunity to establish himself as a driver but he’s quick to point out that Tom has to prove that he’s not only capable but serious about progressing in the sport.
Tom, in his defence, is very clear as to his goals; he wants to be a professional rally driver and is already on the path that has led many famous drivers to the top level of the sport.
Balancing his developing rally career with his education was always going to be tricky but he cites the recognition of his sport and the support of his school as crucial.
In fact, Lord Dafydd Ellis Thomas recently presented him with an award at his school, recognising his achievements in rallying already and the effort he puts in to fit his chosen sport around his studies.
Last year was Tom’s first actual competition and it was all about gaining experience and knowledge that would stand him in good stead for this season.
He has a new car, a Group N Ford Fiesta ST, built to the same specification as the one-make series that runs alongside the FIA World Rally Championship.
His co-driver, Gemma Price, is hugely experienced, having competed in the WRC herself in the past.
The team running the car has also been involved in the WRC, so there is a solid foundation of expertise, experience and knowledge for Tom to build on.
He has already competed on one rally this year, where he finished 19th out of 131 starters and was second in his class, by just five seconds. However, that event was a warm-up for this weekend, the first of his 2008 campaign.
He missed the first round of the series thanks to a football injury, so he is keen to get on with the job at hand and see what he and the car are capable of.
Then, it’ll be back to Aberdovey and swap pace notes for revision notes, as he prepares for the next round of GCSE exams. Whoever said schooldays were the easiest of your life clearly hadn’t met the UK’s next rally star.
To follow Tom’s progress throughout the year, go to www.tomcaveracing.com
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