27.1.2008 - Gardemeister had a rough season opening round in Monte Carlo

Toni Gardemeister was on course to join his team mate in a points-scoring finish, having completed all but five special stages of this challenging event. Unfortunately the Finn was forced into retirement at the very end of the penultimate day, but he too managed to set a sixth-fastest stage time and prove that the new Suzuki SX4 WRC has the pace to run towards the front.

The final day¹s action saw the crews complete two loops of stages over the legendary Col de Turini, where thousands of spectators traditionally gather to cheer on their heroes. Andersson concentrated on consolidating Suzuki¹s first points finish, before the rally concluded with a spectator superspecial stage using parts of Monaco¹s famous Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.

Having moved into the top eight on the third day of the rally, Andersson finished the event a minute and a half clear of his nearest rival. Toni Gardemeister also made good progress throughout the rally despite some turbo boost problems on the second day. By the third day he had climbed back to 10th place and was set for a points finish, but his SX4 WRC began to overheat on SS14, Lamastre. The Finn and his co-driver Tomi Tuominen managed to get the car back to the final service park in Valence, but the mechanics discovered that there had been damage to the engine. In order to get to the bottom of the problem, the team decided to retire the car so that the causes could be investigated back at the factory in Paris.

Andersson and Gardemeister reported no problems or punctures with Pirelli¹s control tyres, which were being used for the first time in Monte Carlo, and the event was also a valuable exercise for the newly-formed Suzuki World Rally Team ­ which now consists of around 120 people ­ to practise working together.

The experienced Toni Gardemeister, driving on his ninth Monte Carlo Rally, was also pleased with his Suzuki debut despite being forced into retirement.

The 32 year-old Finn commented: ³Without the problems that we unfortunately encountered, we would have been fighting for points here ­ which I knew was possible from the start and P-G has also proved with his excellent performance. It¹s clear that the car has a lot of potential, so actually I¹m very happy. Now that the season is underway, we have to keep working hard to improve the car all the time. Our next rally is Sweden, which I like a lot.

If we can find a good rhythm, it¹s certainly possible for us to do well there."

26.1.2008 - Suzuki in the provisional points on the Monte Carlo Rally

On its very first event, the Suzuki SX4 WRC of P-G Andersson has finished the third day of the Monte Carlo Rally in a provisional points-scoring place. The cars have set quick times in the top eight all day, including a brilliant fifth-fastest time from P-G Andersson on SS9. At the end of the third day of the event, Andersson is in a points-scoring seventh place but Toni Gardemeister has been forced to retire due to an overheating problem, after completing all the special stages. Today was the longest leg of the four-day event, comprising 443.26 kilometres in total and 132.78 kilometres of special stages. Both Suzuki SX4 WRCs had no major problems throughout most of the day: an excellent achievement in what is only the very start of the Suzuki World Rally Team¹s first full season. Tomorrow the crews face another 66.95 competitive kilometres over the legendary Col de Turini and a spectator superspecial using parts of Monaco¹s Grand Prix circuit, before the finish in front of the Principality¹s Royal Palace at 15:30.

Gardemeister had an intercom problem during the opening loop of stages, but the Finn was able to set some quick times including a sixth-fastest time on SS13. During the last stage, Gardemeister¹s car began to overheat. Although the crew reached the service area at the end of the day, it was not possible to trace the cause of the problem and the car was subsequently retired in order to prevent further engine damage.

Toni Gardemeister: "It¹s disappointing to be forced into retirement, especially considering the fact that up until the end of it today was very good. The stages were well suited to the car, and while I¹m sorry not to be able to finish the event, it has been a very positive experience for me and the whole team. We need to continue working hard to further improve our speed and reliability, but I have every confidence that we will get there."

Nobuhiro Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal: "Naturally we are all very pleased by the speed that P-G and Toni have shown today. However, it¹s important for us not to get carried away. There¹s still a long way to go ­ with the extremely challenging Col de Turini stages ­ and we have a lot of work left to carry out this year. After this rally, we will have some more ideas about where to focus our efforts in order to develop the car further and prevent problems such as the one we experienced with Toni recurring."

25.1.2008 - Gardemeister continues to make progress on tricky asphalt of Monte Carlo Rally

At the end of Suzuki¹s first full day of World Championship rallying, both cars are safely at the finish with some valuable lessons learned for the future. The SX4 WRC has again set top 10 times today, with P-G Andersson finishing 11th overall and Toni Gardemeister 14th.

Andersson had a clean run throughout the day, although he encountered a small gear selection problem in the morning and also stalled at the start of SS5. Gardemeister¹s progress was not quite so straightforward, as he had to cope with a loss of boost pressure in the morning (which was fixed by the Suzuki mechanics at midday service in Valence) and then a lack of engine response in the afternoon.

Today¹s roads were mostly dry, with only a few damp places and a number of flat-out sections that pushed drivers and cars to the limit. In these rapid conditions, the Suzuki SX4 WRC proved itself capable of setting top 10 stage times once more, underlining its clear potential for a points finish on its debut.

Gardemeister had limited turbo boost throughout all three of the morning¹s stages, which held him back on the tricky mountain roads ­ especially during the long uphill sections. The Suzuki mechanics traced it to a small electrical problem at service, but the Finn then suffered an unrelated problem in the afternoon that affected the engine response.

Toni Gardemeister: "We had a few issues today but nothing major: it¹s already clear that we have a lot of potential so I¹m happy and I know where we can improve. I¹m actually surprised by how quick we have been already when things are working well. There¹s a very long way still to go on this rally, so tonight we will get the car back to perfect order and see what we can do: tomorrow¹s stages are very nice. "

Osamu Honda, Suzuki Senior Managing Executive Officer: "At what is still the start of our first event, we are finally living our dream in one of the toughest forms of motor sport. Competition is in Suzuki¹s DNA, from motorbikes to cars. We are finding out of course that the top category of the World Rally Championship is extremely challenging, but competition like this is the best way for us to express our deep passion for our cars. Like the slogan says, for us it is a Way of Life!"

24.1.2008 - Suzukis finish day one safely as the World Rally adventure begins

Suzuki’s first full season of the World Rally Championship got underway with the two SX4 WRCs of Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson crossing the start ramp at Valence this evening before facing two tricky special stages in the dark. Having set top-10 times during both stages, Gardemeister finishes the opening day in a provisional points-scoring eighth place. Following the first 21 kilometres of the event and his World Rally Car career, P-G Andersson is 12th – despite completing most of the action with just two-wheel drive.

The opening stage, the 28.12 kilometres of St Jean en Royans – Col de la Chau, was extremely fast and slippery, due to snow that had melted during the day and turned to ice in the cool temperatures. The second stage was more technical, suiting the SX4 WRC better on only its third-ever rally. The Suzuki SX4 WRCs also had to deal with a lot of loose snow pulled onto the road by previous cars, having started the rally eighth and 10th on the road.

Gardemeister had difficulty hearing his pace notes over the first couple of stages because of intermittent intercom problems. He ended the opening stage eighth and was in the top 10 once more on SS2, fulfilling his prediction so far that it would be possible for Suzuki to finish its first proper event with the SX4 WRC in the points.

Driver news:

Toni Gardemeister: “We had a few small problems but despite this we’ve come to the end of the first day in the points. This is a brand new car and there is a lot of development still to come, but I’m happy. It’s clear that the potential is all there, and I’m going to keep pushing tomorrow.”

Team news

Nobuhiro Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal: “I am very happy indeed with our performance so far: to be in a provisional points-scoring place in our first proper rally is a great achievement. It’s only been 53 days since our final test event on Rally Great Britain last year: in the space of that short time we have put together a whole new driver line-up and expanded the team rapidly. I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone for their hard work, which has put us in this very encouraging position at the start of our first rally. Step by step, we’ll keep working to improve.”

22.1.2008 - Suzuki World Rally Team embarks on first full season of world rallying

Following two test events in Corsica and Great Britain last year, the Suzuki World Rally Team now embarks on its first full season of world rallying with two new drivers: Toni Gardemeister from Finland and Per-Gunnar Andersson from Sweden, the reigning Junior Rally Champion with Suzuki.

The first of the 15 rounsods that make up the 2008 World Rally Championship is the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, the oldest and most prestigious event of the series. Just like the roulette games played in the Principality¹s famous casino, the outcome of the rally can be a lottery. Conditions can vary many times in the same stage, and it is not uncommon for a stage to start off in bright sunshine and end with snow and ice.

For the second consecutive year, the Monte Carlo Rally will start off in the town of Valence, in the Ardeche region of France, with two night stages on Thursday evening. The route takes in 12 more stages in the area on Friday and Saturday, before moving down to Monaco for four classic stages over the Col de Turini and a super special stage using part of Monaco¹s famous Grand Prix circuit. The prize-giving ceremony will take place in front of Monaco¹s Royal Palace on Sunday at 15:30 (CET).

As usual a wide range of conditions are expected on this year¹s event, making Monte Carlo one of the most difficult rallies on the entire calendar. As well as varying weather, crews face a huge variety of road conditions: from bumpy, broken asphalt with reasonable grip to sheet ice like a skating rink. In total, the rally consists of 365.09 competitive kilometres.

Car news ­ Suzuki SX4 WRC n.11 (Gardemeister) and n.12 (Andersson):

This will actually be Suzuki¹s seventh Monte Carlo rally, thanks to a successful Junior World Rally Championship campaign that resulted in two titles, but it is obviously the first time in the Principality with the all-new SX4 WRC.

The SX4 WRC sports a striking new white and yellow livery for 2008, and it has already racked up a number of testing kilometres in the region following a pre-Monte Carlo test at the end of last year with both drivers. Using the valuable experience gained from the two test events in 2007, the SX4 WRC features new differential and suspension settings for Monte Carlo, as well as a raft of other improvements under the skin.

Like all the other cars, the SX4 WRC will run on Pirelli¹s all-new control tyres introduced for this year. These tyres are not permitted to have anti-deflation mousse, and only one type of tread pattern and compound is allowed per event, in order to reduce costs. However drivers are permitted to hand-cut the tyres to help disperse water or loose gravel, and for Monte Carlo a short stud can also be used if necessary, to find grip in icy conditions.

The entire Suzuki team is eagerly awaiting the unique challenge of Monte Carlo, and the whole 2008 season.

Driver news

For the first time, the Suzuki World Rally Team will run two cars, as it will over the rest of the season. The 32 year-old Toni Gardemeister starts his ninth Monte Carlo Rally this year, and it is one of his favourite events. The Finn was on the podium as recently as 2006, and he has finished in the points on five occasions. His co-driver this year is Tomi Tuominen, who knows the SX4 WRC well after partnering Sebastian Lindholm on the Rally GB last year.

Gardemeister said: ³It¹s fantastic for me to be back in the World Championship with Suzuki, and if things go well for us in Monte Carlo I think we can come away with points. The car is still new, so we¹re not going to be on the pace of the frontrunners yet, but the overall set-up and reliability is good. The SX4 has a very compact wheelbase so it changes direction quickly, which will be very useful on the fast and twisty roads of Monte Carlo. This is always an unpredictable event, but I think that mixed conditions could actually work in our favour. I¹m particularly looking forward to the Col de Turini stages on Sunday: these are unique stages and I¹ve always had a very good feeling with them.²

Team news

For the entire Suzuki team, the Monte Carlo rally opens a new chapter in the manufacturer¹s prestigious history. New arrivals at the team this year include Shusuke Inagaki as technical director and Akira Kawada as team manager.

- As we embark on our full first season, our goal is to make steady progress by taking one step at a time. Results are obviously important, but we cannot get ahead of ourselves either. In our debut year, it¹s only natural to expect a few minor problems and we¹re grateful to have a driver of the calibre of Toni Gardemeister to help us improve. P-G Andersson is at the very start of his career, so his job is to learn as well. We all share the common objective of performing to the best of our abilities, and increasing the profile of Suzuki¹s compact cars all over the world, commented Nobuhiro 'Monster¹ Tajima, principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team.