This weekend's Jim Clark Rally ended in frustration for Tom Cave and co-driver Craig Parry, following the failure of the gearbox on their Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX, which became stuck in third gear. The JRM team attempted to change the gearbox in the short mid-day service but the complex job took longer than the crew had available and they went OTL (Over Time Limit) and were out of the event.
The event seemed jinxed from the start. Following a successful shakedown, where Tom drove the EvoX for the first time on asphalt, the heavens opened as he drove the second stage and as a result, he lost time to those drivers ahead on the road, who had drier conditions.
He then began to lose his brakes on the following stage and as there was no service between the two loops, was unable to rectify the problem before the second run through the three stages, dropping more time in the process.
He began the second day of the event in a positive frame of mind and was more comfortable in the car, increasing his pace from the first leg. However, towards the end of the day's third stage, the gearbox began to feel nothchy and on the road section back to service, it became stuck in third gear.
A gearbox change was an unavoidable but time consuming job. The JRM team tackled the task but were unable to complete the work before Tom and Craig reached their maximum allowed lateness and therefore, they were out of the rally.
Commenting, Tom said: "This is an incredibly frustrating end to the event. Things were starting to look up for us on the first loop of stages this morning. We were making changes to the car's set-up because of the conditions and to pick up some more pace and it seemed to be working. But towards the end of the third stage, the gearbox started to let go and when we got to the finish board, it was stuck in third.
"I didn't want to force the box and do more damage. The boys tried to change it and did their best but we went OTL. We all tried hard during the event to find some pace and it's so disappointing to finish like this.
"I'm trying not to dwell on the championship position too much. It's a huge learning curve this year and all I can do is try to pull some positives from this and move on. We're doing the Severn Valley Stages next weekend and I'm really looking forward to it."
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