10.2.2008 - Gardemeister takes Suzuki World Rally Team¹s best result to date

Toni Gardemeister has finished in the points for Suzuki on the Swedish Rally, claiming seventh position and the team¹s best result to date ­ scoring two driver points and three manufacturer points. Following on from P-G Andersson¹s result in Monte Carlo two weeks ago, this means that a Suzuki SX4 WRC has taken points on both rallies held so far in the 2008 World Rally Championship.

Andersson was forced to retire on the opening day of the rally with a head gasket problem, but Gardemeister had a reliable run to the finish despite some hydraulic issues and an off-road excursion on Saturday.

Crews had to battle with a distinct lack of snow on the stages compared to previous years, which led to a stage being cancelled on both Saturday and Sunday. With comparatively warm temperatures above zero degrees, there was plenty of loose gravel that ripped the studs out of Pirelli¹s control tyres and reduced the amount of grip available.

Having fought his way strongly back into the points after going off the road yesterday, Gardemeister concentrated on consolidating his position over the final six stages today. With SS18 being cancelled due to lack of snow, he was able to cruise to the end in Karlstad to rack up Suzuki¹s second consecutive points finish. The Suzuki SX4 WRC once again showed itself capable of setting top-six times over the course of the three-day event.

Gardemeister had no major problems this morning and he was able to drive safely to the finish. The only issue he encountered over the course of the rally was a hydraulic problem that affected the differential and semi-automatic gearshift intermittently on Friday and Saturday. On SS11 he went off the road for three minutes at a fast left-hand corner just a kilometre into the stage. Unfortunately some spectators accidentally pushed him further into the ditch rather than helping him out, which led to the time loss. Apart from those problems, Gardemeister¹s SX4 WRC performed reliably in only its second-ever rally.

Gardemeister and Andersson came to the Swedish Rally after a very positive snow test in the north of the country, which was under full snow. Unfortunately, conditions in the actual rally were very different, which meant that both drivers had to adjust their set-up and driving styles in order to look after the tyres. Nonetheless the SX4 WRC showed an extremely encouraging pace under the circumstances, with Gardemeister climbing as high as sixth overall after SS4, and Andersson running in seventh place immediately before his retirement.

Toni Gardemeister: ³I¹m very happy to have scored my first points for Suzuki after a tough three days. The biggest problem we had were the conditions. There was a lot of loose gravel, and so we had to soften the suspension a lot on the opening day to deal with the rough stages. Then we had a problem with the hydraulics on the second day, and also we went off the road. That was a really stupid thing, as it should have cost us just 10 or 15 seconds and in the end it took three minutes ­ although of course we are always grateful for any help in these situations! On the last day we just drove safely to the finish as there was no point in taking any risks. There¹s lots of development still to do but I¹m basically very happy with the pace of the car considering the fact that we did comparatively little testing. By the end of the year, I¹m sure we will be a lot closer to the frontrunners.²

P-G Andersson: ³The amount of media interest we had in us on our home rally was incredible ­ I think it went up by 600%! Obviously the way the rally ended was very disappointing for myself and my co-driver Jonas, but there is a lot for us to be positive about as well. Toni has proved that our SX4 WRC is capable of consistently scoring points, and if we had kept going I think we certainly would have been able to challenge for another place in the points. We have to remember that this is only our second rally with the SX4 WRC, and at least we have a good idea now about the cause of my retirement. We must keep on working hard to fix these problems, and I¹m looking forward to coming back and pushing hard again on the next round in Mexico.²

Team news:

For the newly-formed Suzuki World Rally Team, the Swedish Rally was also a valuable learning experience of working together under difficult circumstances. At the end of it, Gardemeister emerged with the team¹s best result to date ­ which was achieved with the help of solid team work.

Nobuhiro Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal: ³I am very happy. Toni and Tomi have brought us our best result to date in our short world rally career so far, and we have also finished in the points again ­ for the second time in two rallies! It¹s a very proud moment for everyone. Of course, I am very sorry for P-G and Jonas who would also have deserved to finish in the points again, just as they did in Monte Carlo. It¹s clear that we have a long way still to go but the car has been born well, as the results to date prove. This rally could not have been much more difficult for us, as all our limited preparation was based on snow. Even without it, we have managed to bring home another result. Congratulations to everybody ­ now we are already working hard for Mexico. It will be a completely different event but the objective is the same: to bring back both cars in the points.²

9.2.2008 - Gardemeister maintains Suzuki¹s points-scoring run

At the end of the second day of the Swedish Rally, flying Finn Toni Gardemeister has maintained Suzuki¹s points-scoring pace on the event so far. Gardemeister¹s SX4 WRC returns to parc ferme in Karlstad occupying eighth place, although it has not been an entirely straightforward day for him. Today¹s action consisted of six stages split into two loops of three with a midday remote service halt at Hagfors.

On SS11, Vargasen 1, Gardemeister spun off the road and SS12 was cancelled due to deteriorating road conditions. Once again the six forest stages were made treacherous by plenty of loose gravel, so punctures were a constant risk. Despite the variable levels of grip, Gardemeister drove an extremely mature rally to end the day in a points-scoring eighth. His team mate Per-Gunnar Andersson was forced to watch from the sidelines, having retired with a head gasket problem yesterday.

The final day of the event tomorrow is made up of six more challenging stages totalling 97.22 competitive kilometres, before the finish ramp back in Karlstad at around 15:00 (CET).

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

Gardemeister had a partial repeat of the hydraulic problem that affected him yesterday. However, the Finn¹s biggest problem occurred when he slid off the road just a kilometre into SS11. It was not a big mistake, but rather than help him extricate the car, the watching spectators accidentally pushed him further into the ditch! By the time Gardemeister and his co-driver Tomi Tuominen had resolved the problem, three minutes had been lost ­ dropping him to 10th place, a minute off eighth position.

Gardemeister fought back strongly during the afternoon, despite the fact that it was not possible to repair the hydraulic problem fully with the limited equipment allowed at the remote service halt in Hagfors. He ends the day back in the points, and with every prospect of claiming another points finish for Suzuki at the end of the rally tomorrow.

Driver news:

Toni Gardemeister: ³When we went off it was like nothing I have ever experienced before in my rally career: instead of helping us the spectators accidentally made the situation worse! Otherwise, we could have been out of there in 10 or 15 seconds. It¹s been a very tough day again, but I¹m sure we can score some points so that will definitely be our aim tomorrow. It¹s going to be impossible to catch the car in front so we just need to concentrate on staying out of trouble and not making any mistakes.²

Team news:

Nobuhiro Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal: ³The Swedish Rally has not got any easier for us, but we have a points finish within our grasp, which would be a fantastic way to end what is only the second rally of our first full season. Before we can even think about that we have to get through the final day tomorrow, which will almost be as long as today when you take into account the stage that has been cancelled. Toni, as well as the rest of the team, needs to focus on keeping concentrated and doing the best job possible in these tricky circumstances.²

8.2.2008 - Gardemeister in the points for Suzuki at end of day one

On just the second event of its full World Rally Championship career, Toni Gardemeister has driven the Suzuki SX4 WRC to a promising eighth position after day one of the Swedish Rally.

His team mate P-G Andersson was seventh after the opening stages of the event, but he was forced to stop on SS4 because of a faulty head gasket that had caused further engine damage. Gardemeister was forced to battle special stages that were made slippery by a comparative lack of snow, causing muddy and gravelly patches of road. The conditions got worse when the initial loop of three stages in the morning was repeated during the afternoon, and the Finn also had to deal with a hydraulic problem. The day concluded with a final run through the spectator superspecial near Karlstad, in front of thousands of excited fans.

Gardemeister aims to continue making solid progress through the six stages that make up tomorrow¹s action, which are once again split into two loops of three.

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

P-G Andersson got off to a solid start, finishing ninth then seventh fastest on the opening two forest stages. Unfortunately, the young Swede did not get the chance to climb further up the leaderboard on his home event as his car stopped during SS4. The problem was traced to a faulty head gasket from the same batch that led to Gardemeister¹s retirement from the Monte Carlo Rally under similar circumstances.

The Finn thought that the suspension of his SX4 WRC was too stiff in the morning, as the set-up had been established during Suzuki¹s pre-event test in the north of Sweden on roads with full snow. During the service halt, the mechanics were able to soften the suspension to better suit the gravelly road conditions of the afternoon. However, Gardemeister then suffered a hydraulic failure, meaning that his SX4 WRC was deprived of its automatic gearshift and centre differential throughout the afternoon. Nonetheless, he ends the day in a points-scoring place.

Driver news:

Toni Gardemeister: ³The road conditions have been far from easy but we have been learning more with every kilometre and this is all useful knowledge for the future. After we softened the suspension the car felt better, but then we had the hydraulic problem. I¹m quite happy to be in eighth place at the end of the first day, as we are now in a strong position to improve from here.²

Team news:

Nobuhiro Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal: ³The rally route has been very difficult today as we expected, so we are all having to learn fast. This is only our second event, and already we have faced a wide variety of challenges. I feel extremely sorry for P-G, who certainly deserved more than this on his home event, after scoring a point for us in Monte Carlo. Under the rules we could not change the engine and while this is fair enough for the established teams, for us as a newcomer it makes the learning process even more challenging. Now we have had two retirements caused by the same problem, which we have not been allowed to solve during the events. Toni has been doing a very good job under tricky circumstances: if he carries on like this we will be able to meet our target of another points finish in our first two rallies. This would be an excellent achievement.²

7.2.2008 - Safe start for Suzuki at Swedish Rally superspecial

The Swedish Rally ­ round two of the World Rally Championship ­ got underway this evening with one lap of the 1.9 kilometre spectator superspecial stage on the trotting track just outside Karlstad. Suzuki SX4 WRC driver Toni Gardemeister set nine fastest time, while his team mate P-G Andersson ­ who claimed Suzuki¹s debut points finish in Monte Carlo ­ was seventh quickest. Neither of the Suzuki drivers reported any problems.

The spectator superspecial, where cars race side by side against each other, consisted of an icy surface with some mud and gravel. Tomorrow the real action starts with six more special stages that should feature more of the snow that Sweden is renowned for. Friday¹s action concludes with a final run through the Karlstad superspecial.

This morning both Suzuki SX4 WRC drivers completed the short shakedown stage near the service park in Karlstad: a last-minute opportunity to refine settings before the start of the rally. Andersson was ninth-quickest of all the drivers in the shakedown, with Gardemeister less than a second behind him.

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

Both of the cars performed reliably throughout the shakedown stage and the superspecial, but this was only a taste of the real action still to follow.

With the cars having completed a snow test in northern Sweden just under a month ago, the shakedown was an opportunity to see how it reacted in conditions with less than full snow, and adjust the set-up accordingly.

Neither driver chose to make major changes to their SX4 WRC though in the shakedown, preferring to wait and see how the conditions developed throughout the first full day. The local weather forecast predicts the possibility of more snow tonight, which could make the stage conditions similar to the full snow that the drivers experienced during testing.

Toni Gardemeister: ³So far everything has gone well and there was a good crowd watching us at the superspecial. Weather conditions today have not been so nice but tomorrow the stages are further north so hopefully we should have some proper Swedish roads covered in snow.²

Team news:

Nobuhiro Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal: ³Sweden will be even more of a challenging event for us than Monte Carlo, and the conditions are so mixed that I think we will see a bit of everything. In Monte Carlo we had asphalt, here we have some snow, some ice and some gravel. Under these tricky circumstances, it is best for our drivers to be careful and make sure that they finish the rally, so that we can continue the good work that we have already started this year.²

2.2.2008 - Suzuki aims for more points on the snowy stages of Sweden

After racking up a World Championship point and proving itself capable of setting top six stage times on its full season debut in Monte Carlo, the Suzuki World Rally Team heads to Sweden with the aim of bringing both SX4 WRCs to a points finish.

The snowy stages around Karlstad are extremely specialised, but the team is hoping that its all-Scandinavian line-up of Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson will provide some much-needed local knowledge.

Although the stage surfaces consist of snow and ice, Sweden is ironically one of the quickest events of the year ­ as the cars run on narrow tyres with studs that provide even better grip than an ordinary gravel rally. When it snows heavily, thick snowbanks form by the side of the Swedish stages to line the route. Part of the black art of driving the Swedish Rally is to know how to use those snowbanks effectively, by Œleaning¹ the car against them in order to guide it through the corner. This is a delicate balancing act though: if a driver leans too hard the car will simply crash through the snowbank and get stuck. Too much contact with the snow can also clog radiators and cause overheating, so it is always to keep a clean but fast line.

This year¹s snowfall may not be as heavy as that of previous years, so it will be important for the drivers to look after their tyres in order not to lose too many studs.

The rally gets underway on Thursday night and covers a total of 20 special stages before the finish on Sunday afternoon. For more information: www.swerally.se

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

For Suzuki, Sweden is a comparatively new experience as it has only visited the event twice previously, with a Super 1600 car. Those outings have always been positive, as P-G Andersson has won the class in his home rally with Suzuki on both occasions.

In mid-January Suzuki completed a pre-event test in northern Sweden near Kall, accumulating around 600 kilometres with both drivers. The SX4 WRC set some respectable times, but most importantly of all it was reliable ­ allowing the drivers to establish some useful base settings that will be used to start the rally. The team also gained valuable data from the opening round of the WRC in Monte Carlo last weekend, which will be equally useful for Sweden.

Along with all the other factory cars the Suzuki SX4 WRC will use Pirelli¹s narrow ŒSottozero Ice¹ control tyre in Sweden, which has long studs designed to penetrate the surface snow and dig into the ice underneath. This will be the last year that the teams will use these special narrow tyres for snow events, as from 2009 the tyre size will be the same as it is on gravel in order to reduce the number of different wheel rims needed.

Driver news:

Both Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson count Sweden amongst their favourite rallies, having each racked up an impressive record of achievement there. This will be the 32 year-old Gardemeister¹s 10th Swedish Rally with a best result of third in 2005.

Gardemeister said: ³I was very happy with the performance of the SX4 WRC in Monte Carlo. When things were going well we were less than a second a kilometre off the frontrunners, which is really good for the first rally. In Sweden I¹m going to try to score some points, and I think we have a strong chance of achieving this judging by the performance and reliability showed by the SX4 WRC during the pre-Sweden test a few weeks ago. I¹m hoping a bit more snow will fall before the rally starts: I remember that last year the snow came very late, just before the rally got underway.²

Team news:

Suzuki heads to Sweden on the crest of a wave, having been delighted by the promising performance of the SX4 WRC in Monte Carlo and a championship point on its debut. Nonetheless, Sweden is an entirely different event that presents a new set of challenges. Once more the learning curve will be huge, with the team starting from scratch on this tricky and specialised surface. Nonetheless, Suzuki is aiming to finish with both cars in the points in Sweden.

³This is a very tough objective, but we would not set it if we did not think that it was achievable,² said Nobuhiro ŒMonster¹ Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal. ³Monte Carlo was a dream debut for us, but we want to go one better now. I believe that we have already shown the clear potential of the SX4 WRC so it is down to us to build on that potential from here on. Sweden is a very exciting event for all of us and especially for P-G as it is his home rally, but once more my instructions to the drivers will be to bring the car home above all. By accumulating as many kilometres as we can and learning step by step, we will continue to make progress.²