TOM Cave and co-driver Dale Furniss, delivered a personal best performance on this year’s Wales Rally GB - Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship - when he finished an impressive 11th overall and took third place in the fiercely competitive R5 category.

They collected awards for being the first privateer entry, the first non-WRC registered entry and top Welsh crew.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with this result,” said Aberdyfi ace Cave. “To record my best ever result on a World Rally Championship round is just what I had hoped for, especially against such a high quality field of drivers in R5 cars.

“After a challenging start and having to cope with difficult conditions, Dale and I just kept up a consistent pace and from Friday afternoon onwards we knuckled down, fought our way up the leader board stage-by-stage and made sure we got the job done on Saturday, so that we were where we wanted to be on Sunday and able to challenge for top 10 overall.

“I really have to thank everyone who made this event possible. For Dale and all the work he did inside the car, and the PCRS team for all they did outside it. A truly fantastic job all-round. Also, thanks to our sponsors and supporters for their invaluable contributions.”

After well-attended ceremonial start at Liverpool’s Waterfront, Cave had the privilege of being flagged away as car two by the city’s mayor, behind his season-long BRC rival and PCRS Hyundai team-mate for this event, Matt Edwards.

Competitors headed to Oulton Park for the first of 22 stages - a spectator-friendly affair that used parts of the circuit and a variety of the venue’s in-field roads.

Greeted by a light drizzle, conditions were extremely slippery and after losing the effect of the car’s power steering in a man-made watersplash and then spinning later in the stage, Cave dropped a few seconds to their category rivals.

But they were through the test safe and sound and ready to start the first day ‘proper’ in the northwest Wales forests that are familiar territory to Welsh pair.

Despite an issue with the launch control and Anti-Lag-Strategy, along with a fault with the wipers, they did exceptionally well to get back to service lying 20th overall, and the ninth R5 entry out of 28.

With the PCRS team returning the Hyundai to 100 per cent, a re-run of the morning’s four stages, plus the Slate Mountain spectator stage, saw Cave and Furniss move up the leader-board, to end the day 15th overall and 6th in category.

Saturday morning’s three-stage loop in classic Rally GB mid-Wales territory saw Cave battling with former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg in a VW Polo R5, and the Aberdyi ace initially got ahead before the Norwegian legend took back the place, by a handful of seconds.

Weather conditions worsened for the afternoon’s repeat run, plus another spectator affair at Colwyn Bay in the evening, but Cave pulled into the service area in Llandudno for the overnight halt, 13th overall, and 4th in the R5 category.

Albeit overcast and blustery, Sunday dawned without the accompaniment of rain, and Cave and Furniss were fired up for a final-day push by claiming two places to 11th overall and third of the R5 cars, behind the Pro WRC2 entry of Kalle Rovenpera, in a works Skoda, and Solberg, who was now 12 seconds ahead.

Brenig Forest saw another well executed delivery by the Welsh pairm but a run around the Great Orme was cancelled due to the windy conditions and consequently no diver cover in the sea below.

With two more stages to - a re-run of Alwen and Brenig - Cave pushed as hard as he could, and when they returned to Llandudno sea front for the finish, they had consolidated their position of 11th overall and 3rd in the R5 (RC2) category - as well as first non-WRC registered entry, first privateer and top Welsh crew.