IT was another impressive performance from Tom Cave and co-driver James Morgan as they scored their third top-four MSA British Rally Championship result of the season - in as many events - by taking fourth place at the Pirelli Carlisle Rally.

Driving the Spencer Sport Fiesta R5, the mid Wales ace was once again matching the times of the world-class drivers around him and in doing so he kept his BRC title hopes well and truly alive.

“Overall I am very happy with the outcome of the weekend,” commented Cave.

“To finish fourth against such a high level of competition is a good result. Added to this, James and I have continued to develop our partnership, and I have also now learnt a lot more about the Fiesta.

“I really have to thank the Spencer Sport team for giving me such a reliable and competitive car. It never missed a beat throughout the rally. The Michelin tyres also worked well in the differing conditions and we are now in a great position for the remainder of the BRC season.”

The Rally featured four stages on Saturday, followed by another three on Sunday morning, with all of the event’s 74 commiles taking place in the Kielder Forest.

It’s an area renowned for the challenges it presents to cars and crews, with the fast and technically demanding gravel roads possessing their distinctive character.

Following a third place on the Mid Wales Stages in March, followed by a fourth on the Circuit of Ireland three weeks ago, Cave went to the rally aiming for another top result. However, with the caliber of the crews they were up against, they knew it would be no easy task.

Their expectations were realised as early as the opening stage, when it was clear that pace at the front of the field was going to be fierce, and they emerged from SS1 in fifth place. It was a solid start, but Cave knew that there was more to come.

They kept the pressure on, and when rally leader Elfyn Evans dropped back following a puncture on stage three, the Aberdyfi ace moved up to fourth position.

The final stage of the day served to maintain the status quo, when the top six crews beat the bogie time, meaning that all were accredited with exactly the same stage time. Organisers decided to add a series of chicanes into Sunday’s route in order to slow down the cars and attempt to avoid the bogie times being beaten.

Adding to the changes for Sunday was the onset of rain, the wet stages providing crews with a greatly reduced level of grip from that of Saturday. With their Michelin tyres working well in the conditions, Cave and Morgan moved up to third in the first of the day’s stages. But another good run in the next stage was unrealised, when the top 13 crews managed to beat the bogie time again - which resulted in the leading positions remaining unchanged.

It was now all down to the final stage - a 16-mile run through Chirdonhead - and, with Evans now on a mission to make up time following his Saturday puncture, Cave knew full well that he would need a clean run to remain in a podium position.

Everything was going according to plan until two-miles from the end, when a small overshoot when negotiating one of the organisers’ newly-added chicanes saw a few seconds lost - the subsequent delay allowing Evans to edge past and snatch third place, behind Matthew Wilson in second place and Fredrik Ahlin in first.

Whilst this final turn of events may have appeared frustrating, Cave and remained pleased with the final result, particularly against tough, world-class opposition.

The next event for Cave and the Spencer Sport team is in eight weeks’ time, for the Dumfries-based RSAC Scottish Rally.