“Fastest stage time in class with the exception of one proper stage shows that our notes were working very well and the car was perfect, except for the engine problem. I think this was the weekend where everything seemed to come together – at the beginning and the end, at any rate!
“This was definitely the toughest rally I've done though. The temperature on Sunday was in the 30s and it required a huge amount of concentration to get the car through to the end of the event. We had a few temperature variations on Sunday, so I was watching those and we picked up a vibration that felt like a puncture. However, we checked and it wasn't, so I spent most of the day trying to drive quickly, while keeping an eye on the temperature and wondering what the vibration was and if something would fall off!
“In terms of motivation on the final day, I guess there was nothing for us to lose and potentially, everything to gain. We were almost last in class and I thought that if I pushed and set some decent times, if any of the other N3 drivers had problems, we could capitalise on them. Claiming the stage win on each run was fantastic but there just weren't enough stages left for us to get any further up.
“There are a host of people I have to thank for their efforts this weekend. First and foremost, Mikey, JJ and Mark from Davies Motorsport, who worked like mad all weekend to make sure we kept going. They changed three windscreens and were at it until 2am on Sunday morning, getting the engine out and changing the head gasket.
“The guys from M-Sport were also extremely helpful, even though we're not running as part of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy international, as were the guys from Team Abu Dhabi and Castrol Ford Team Turkiye.
“I also have to thank Yokohama for supporting us with tyres this weekend. Once again, they worked perfectly; we had exactly the grip we needed when we needed it, they were incredibly consistent and we didn't suffer any damage or punctures all weekend.
“We need to have a good think about our next step once we get home, since we seem to keep having problems with this car and I can't help but wonder if we're approaching the limits of what it is capable of now. So we'll get home, take stock and come up with a plan for the rest of the season once the dust has settled on this weekend.”
Meanwhile Cave now heads to the Goodwood Festival of Speed this coming weekend, where he has been invited to display his car on the International Rally Drivers Club stand, as well as demonstrate it on the event's famous rally stage.
