1.6.2008 - Suzuki at its strongest with the SX4 WRC taking Acropolis points

The final day of the Acropolis Rally of Greece took crews through another six tough stages to the north of Athens, with the last test being played out in front of thousands of passionate rally fans at the superspecial at Tatoi military airbase, the event¹s base for the last three days. Sweden¹s P-G Andersson turned in a sensational day at the wheel of his Suzuki SX4 WRC. He was only out of the top 10 times once and managed one fifth and one sixth quickest time after a trouble-free day. Unfortunately, not even the double Junior World Rally Champion¹s scintillating pace through these rockiest of roads was enough to land him a top 10 position on the event. Andersson¹s team-mate Toni Gardemeister did collect a top-10 finish, placing the sister SX4 WRC in ninth place after a similarly straightforward day.

Despite three days of high drama and astonishingly tough competition, Suzuki has had one of its SX4 WRCs in the top 10 for the duration of the toughest round of the World Rally Championship so far this season. Andersson climbed as high as sixth overall before slipping back on yesterday¹s second day. Gardemeister¹s Suzuki remained reliable, save for a small problem on day two due to a damaged exhaust system. The team¹s reward for its effort on the Acropolis comes in the shape of both cars scoring points in the manufacturers¹ championship.

Toni Gardemeister was pleased with the tweaks the Suzuki World Rally Team made to his car yesterday. His only problem through the day was being caught in the dust after he caught competitors starting in the stage ahead of him. P-G Andersson re-started the event this morning after suffering from suspension trouble yesterday, but despite the intensely rough conditions, the SX4 WRC didn¹t suffer any similar troubles, allowing him to take the car to its most competitive day in the championship so far.

Toni Gardemeister: ³We¹ve had a good day today. The dust has been quite bad on some of the stages. With the very hot conditions and the rocky roads, when there is no wind around, you know the dust can stay around. I was pleased with the car. Today the engine felt very good. This rally shows we are going in the right direction with the car and making very good progress.²

Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: ³The team has achieved its objectives here on probably the toughest rally the World Rally Championship will encounter all season. It¹s been amazingly rough in places, but Suzuki and the SX4 WRC has encountered less problems than many of its rivals. We have picked up manufacturers points with both cars and set some great times along the way. All-in-all, this has been a very good event for us. We go home from here happy and looking forward to the challenges which lie in wait.²

Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 3hr 54min 54.7sec
2. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 3hr 56min 04.2sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 56min 50.8sec
4. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 3hr 59min 14.4sec
5. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 3hr 59min 44.1sec
6. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 4hr 01min 06.0sec
7. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 01min 42.2sec
8. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 4hr 04min 08.7sec
9. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 4hr 05min 08.5sec
10 C Rautenbach/D Senior ZIM Citroen C4 4hr 08min 23.8sec

31.5.2008 - Suzuki maintains top 10 position on the toughest day of the season

It has been a day of mixed fortunes for the Suzuki World Rally Team. At one stage, both SX4 WRCs of P-G Andersson and Toni Gardemeister were inside the top 10, with Andersson was running sixth after an agonisingly tough second run through the Agii Theodori test. The second day of this Acropolis Rally had been billed as one of the toughest of the year so far. It certainly lived up to that, with cars succumbing to the searing heat and exceptionally twisty and rocky roads. Andersson failed to finish the day after his SX4 WRC hit suspension trouble in the day¹s penultimate test. Gardemeister battled on to ensure Suzuki retained a presence inside the top 10 as this harshest of rallies moved into the final day.

Toni Gardemeister¹s car was hit with a power steering fault on the final stage of the morning. The car then lost power in the afternoon due to damage sustained to the exhaust system. Andersson¹s car had run well through the morning. The trouble set-in for the Swede on the second run through the Pissia test, where he joined the long list of drivers whose cars were sidelined by suspension trouble caused by the extremely harsh stage conditions.

Toni Gardemeister: ³The day was tough. After we had made some good progress with the engine this morning, we had a problem in the afternoon which took some of the power away, but we¹re here and ready to push on to the finish tomorrow.²

Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: ³This rally doesn¹t have its tough reputation for nothing. We discovered that today. Both P-G and Toni were setting good, consistent stage times earlier this morning, but then these roads have hit back. Like many of our competitors who have suffered similar trouble, we have been caught by the exceptionally rough conditions. On a positive note, Toni has completed the second day and remains on-course to achieve our objective of getting the SX4 WRC to the finish of what is undoubtedly the most technically difficult rally of the season. Both of our cars are set to score points in the manufacturers¹ championship and that¹s what we came for.²

Leaderboard after Day 2
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 2hr 48min 11.1sec
2. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 2hr 48min 39.8sec
3. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 2hr 49min 16.4sec
4. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 51min 12.3sec
5. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 2hr 52min 22.7sec
6. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 2hr 52min 33.9sec
7. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 53min 44.7sec
8. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 57min 02.4sec
9. C Rautenbach/D Senior ZIM Citroen C4 2hr 57min 09.1sec
10 T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 2hr 57min 24.1sec

30.5.2008 - Suzuki in the top 10 on the toughest event of the year

Following last night¹s exceptionally popular ceremonial start at the Parthenon in the centre of Athens, the Suzuki SX4 WRC drivers Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson started the main event and the competitive action north of the city of Athens this morning. Arguably the harshest rally on the calendar, the Acropolis Rally combines the rockiest roads with the hottest conditions. Both Suzukis coped admirably with everything this Greek summer could throw at them. Andersson was never out of the top 10 and was ninth overnight, while his team-mate Gardemeister ended the day on the fringes of the top 10 in 11th position.

Tomorrow¹s stages are likely to be the toughest on the route. The itinerary includes the longest test of the whole event, the fearsome 32.16km Aghii Theodori test ­ which is also expected to be the roughest and rockiest in this year¹s championship: a true test for the world¹s fastest rally drivers.

Suzuki arrived in Greece with the brace of SX4 WRCs sporting a similar set-up to the one employed by Gardemeister and Andersson on the last round in Italy. Clearly, it¹s a set-up which works in Greece, as both cars ran well across the rough terrain. Neither car suffered any significant technical issues on the stages.

Toni Gardemeister: ³Everything has been quite okay today. We had some trouble this morning with the fuel pumps, but the afternoon was good. I was at 95 per cent. There is more to come.²

Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: ³Suzuki¹s target for this event is to get the SX4 WRCs to the end of the rally. We¹re one-third of the way through the toughest rally of the year ­ and we¹ve had a clean run. The team is very pleased with that. We¹re not so focused on stage times here in Greece, what we want to see is good, consistent pace and reliability and both drivers have delivered that. We¹re looking forward to more of the same tomorrow, but we remain mindful of just how hard this rally can be.²

Leaderboard after Day 1
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 21min 34.8sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 21min 50.5sec
3. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 1hr 22min 33.9sec
4. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 22min 40.8sec
5. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 1hr 22min 50.3sec
6. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 22min 53.7sec
7. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 23min 11.2sec
8. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 1hr 23min 11.6sec
9. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 1hr 23min 58.6sec
10 F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 1hr 24min 04.1sec

26.5.2008 - Suzuki takes on the rough roads of Greece

Suzuki¡'s latest challenge in its WRC adventure is the legendary Acropolis Rally, one of the oldest and most prestigious events on the World Rally Championship. The all-gravel event has changed beyond recognition since it was first run as an asphalt rally in 1951, but the traditional start at the Acropolis ¡© the most famous monument in Athens ¡© remains. This year, the rally has a brand-new base in the Tatoi Military Area, just north of Athens city centre. The stages however are largely unchanged from last year, and as always they have a fearsome reputation.

The rock-strewn roads are a real test for every mechanical component on a rally car, but particularly the suspension. Sharp stones mean that punctures are a constant risk, while the expected high ambient temperatures also put a big strain on the engine and cooling systems ¡© not to mention the competing crews. All these harsh elements mean that mechanical problems or punctures have frequently dictated the outcome of the Acropolis Rally, so it is essential for the drivers to think strategically when judging the correct pace.

The event gets underway as always with a ceremonial start in the shadow of the Acropolis itself on Thursday night at 19:30 (local time). The crews will then contest seven stages on day one totalling 110 kilometres, six stages on day two making up 119 kilometres, and finally seven more stages on the last day comprising another 110 kilometres, before the finish in Tatoi at 15:00 on Sunday. This demanding itinerary is sure to take its toll on both drivers and cars, with plenty of potential for some last-minute surprises. For more information: www.acropolisrally.gr

Like the previous round in Sardinia, the Acropolis Rally is an event that Suzuki has experienced before in the Junior World Rally Championship, but this is an entirely different challenge to what is in store with the all-new Suzuki SX4 WRC in the top class. Some aspects of the route are expected to be similar to the previous two rallies in Jordan and Sardinia, enabling Suzuki to put into practice some of the lessons learned on these two rough gravel events. Strength and reliability are the keys to success on rallies such as the Acropolis, and the entire Suzuki World Rally Team was encouraged by a faultless run and top-10 finish for P-G Andersson in Sardinia two weeks ago.

The focus in Greece will once more be upon reliability, and the target is to bring both cars home. Modifications to the SX4 WRC, enabling it to cope with the rough conditions, include increased under-floor protection and improvements to the cooling system. This follows on from the evolutions to the suspension and differential that appeared in Sardinia. The expected warm weather on the Italian island never materialised, but conditions in Greece are forecast to be very hot ¡© making this one of the toughest tests yet for the new SX4 WRC.

With the Acropolis Rally being one of the classic events of the World Rally Championship, both drivers have accumulated some experience of the Greek stages in the past. This will be Toni Gardemeister¡¯s seventh Acropolis Rally, with a best result of second overall in 2005. Despite contesting only a limited programme in 2006, he was a solid fourth on the Acropolis two years ago as well. The challenging stages suit the 32 year-old¡¯s fluid and precise driving style, so he is hoping to make the most of his Greek outing this year as well. ¡°The Acropolis is a rally that I have always liked, but along with most rallies these days it is more of a sprint event than the marathon it used to be¡±, said the Finn. ¡°If we have the strength and reliability that we are aiming for, then it could actually be a rally that suits our car because the most important thing is to be there at the finish. I think we will approach the rally in much the same way as we did in Sardinia: there is no point in pushing flat-out everywhere. We learnt a lot in Sardinia, so hopefully in Greece we can finish in the points.¡±

For Suzuki, the accent will be once more on reliability throughout the Greek stages, renowned as some of the toughest in the entire World Rally Championship. The Acropolis is the second in a trio of Mediterranean gravel rallies, so all the work carried out in Greece will be vital for the Rally of Turkey two weeks afterwards. Following a reliable run for P-G Andersson from start to the finish in Sardinia, the Suzuki team has been buoyed by the consistency that the SX4 WRC is starting to show. This development curve on rough gravel will be continued over the next few weeks.

Nobuhiro ¡®Monster¡¯ Tajima, the Principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: ¡°When we embarked upon our debut season this year, we knew from the beginning that it would be very tough ¡© and this has been amply proved. But it is only by confronting the most challenging conditions that we will make progress. For many years the Acropolis Rally has been considered to be one of the most demanding events on the calendar, so we are eagerly awaiting this next challenge near Athens. Our objective remains to get both cars into the points, although this is a big task. In order to help us achieve this, our drivers will need to remember that the most important thing is always to get to the finish, by continuing the mature and measured approach they have adopted all year.