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17.8.2008 - Suzuki concludes reliable run in Germany with a manufacturer point
The final day of the Rallye Deutschland - arguably the toughest asphalt round of the entire World Rally Championship - saw both Suzuki SX4 WRCs make it safely to the finish in Trier, having enjoyed a reliable run throughout the 352 competitive kilometres that made up the event. Day three consisted of five stages, concluding with a spectator superspecial around the Porta Nigra in the centre of Trier before the final finish podium. The roads were more similar today to the classic asphalt rallies of Spain and Corsica that will come later in the season, providing Suzuki with a valuable testing opportunity through the fast and flowing stages.
At the end of the rally, 10th place for Toni Gardemeister earned Suzuki a precious manufacturers' point, while P-G Andersson finished 15th overall after losing time yesterday following an impact with the side of the road. More importantly, the Rallye Deutschland allowed Suzuki to prepare for the forthcoming asphalt rounds that characterise the end of the season and carry out some useful test work. With the last outing on sealed surfaces having taken place seven months ago at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally (in which P-G Andersson scored a point) both the team and the drivers learnt a lot about the latest development of the SX4 WRC in Germany. A reliable run throughout the rally - which continued uninterrupted over the 85 competitive kilometres of the final day - underlined the work that has taken place to improve the car's consistency as well as its performance, and the Suzuki World Rally Team is now upbeat heading to the next round on the other side of the world in New Zealand in two weeks' time.
The drivers refined the asphalt set-up on the car throughout the three days of the event, helped by the fact that the Rallye Deutschland contains a wide variety of different sealed surfaces. In particular, there was plenty of useful progress made on the suspension settings of the SX4 WRC.
The final day saw both drivers concentrate on bringing their SX4 WRCs to the finish. Temperatures were slightly cooler than they had been on the previous days, so both cars used Pirelli's soft compound rubber. Once more neither car encountered any mechanical problems on the final day. Both drivers were able to set some competitive stage times, with Gardemeister going seventh quickest on SS15: a positive sign for the future.
Toni Gardemeister: "I've been happy with the car on this rally. This is the second event in a row where we have had virtually no problems and a clean run to the finish. The reliability is at a good level now, which means that we can begin to work more on the speed of the car. If you compare the amount of running our car has had with the other WRC cars, we are making quite good progress. This is probably the most difficult of all the asphalt rallies, so to come away with a manufacturers' point is a good result. I'm feeling reasonably optimistic for the other asphalt rounds in Spain and Corsica now. Today I really enjoyed myself."
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: "This has been a very positive event for us and it's great to have two cars at the finish of such a tough rally. The consistency we have demonstrated here shows that all the hard work is paying off, and puts us in a strong position to build on our solid progress throughout the remaining rounds of the championship, on both gravel and asphalt."
Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 3hr 26min 19.7sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 3hr 27min 07.4sec
3. F Duval/P Pivato BEL Ford Focus RS 3hr 27min 39.7sec
4. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 27min 49.8sec
5. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 3hr 28min 55.0sec
6. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 3hr 31min 05.6sec
7. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 3hr 31min 55.9sec
8. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 3hr 31min 57.5sec
9. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 3hr 32min 36.9sec
10 T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 3hr 33min 36.5sec
16.8.2008 - Suzuki just outside the points after strong second day in Germany
The second day of the Rallye Deutschland is renowned as one of the toughest days on the entire World Rally Championship calendar, with the crews facing the fearsome Baumholder stages made up of fast concrete roads through a military camp. No mistakes go unpunished, as the stages are flanked by imposing 'hinkelsteins' - large stone blocks - and there are also many high kerbs. Despite all these hazards, the Suzuki SX4 WRC of Toni Gardemeister returns to parc fermé in the historic city of Trier this evening holding a solid 10th overall, and he is well-placed to take advantage of any opportunities to record another points-scoring finish tomorrow.
His young team mate P-G Andersson, competing in Germany for the first time since 2005, started the day just half a second behind Gardemeister. Unfortunately he was caught out by a tricky corner on SS8 and broke a driveshaft. He had to deal with the problem for two further stages before service and dropped a lot of time, ending up 16th overnight.
Today's action consisted of eight stages and 157 competitive kilometres, with the weather remaining dry and warm despite some predicted rain. Just 84 competitive kilometres now separate the Suzuki drivers from the finish ramp tomorrow in Trier.
Both drivers continued to work on the asphalt set-up of the car, not having competed on a sealed-surface event since Monte Carlo in January. The SX4 WRC was once more entirely reliable throughout the day, with the problems on P-G Andersson's car only arising as the result of his impact against a kerb on SS8. He then had to face the longest stage of the rally - the 30.38 kilometres of Panzerplatte - with just three-wheel drive and only his front brakes. Gardemeister enjoyed another faultless day and used the stages to increase his asphalt experience behind the wheel of the SX4 WRC. A number of suspension adjustments steadily improved the handling of the car throughout the day, and he finished every stage bar one in the top 10.
Toni Gardemeister: "It was actually a good day for us as we had no real problems at all despite the difficulty of the stages. Day two in Germany is one of the toughest days of the whole World Championship, so I'm very pleased to be here at the end. We were able to do top 10 times on nearly all of the stages without pushing too hard. It's been quite positive for us so far."
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: "Our drivers have had mixed fortunes today, but the most important thing is that we are close to the points with Toni and well on the way to getting both cars to the finish with good reliability. Considering that this is our first asphalt rally since Monte Carlo with this car, we've all been encouraged by the positive progress made so far."
Leaderboard after Day 2
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 2hr 32min 22.6sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 33min 02.9sec
3. F Duval/P Pivato BEL Ford Focus RS 2hr 34min 06.9sec
4. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 34min 10.8sec
5. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 2hr 34min 51.3sec
6. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 2hr 35min 54.7sec
7. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 2hr 36min 56.0sec
8. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 2hr 37min 19.7sec
9. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 37min 22.3sec
10 T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 2hr 38min 06.3sec
15.8.2008 - Suzuki crews poised to improve after solid start in Germany
After an action-packed opening day of the Rallye Deutschland, the Suzuki SX4 WRC of Toni Gardemeister is in the top 10 - and the similar car of P-G Andersson is right behind him in 11th. Both cars were perfectly reliable throughout the first day of the event, which was formed of six stages split into two loops of three with service at Trier. However, the action was cut short by an accident that stopped SS5 and spectator overcrowding that forced the cancellation of SS6.
Deprived of the competitive kilometres needed to move up the leaderboard, the Suzukis have not yet had the chance to display their potential on this challenging event: the first asphalt round of the World Rally Championship since Monte Carlo in January. The weather remained dry and warm throughout the opening loop of stages, which were held close to the Mosel River near the German city of Trier.
The drivers used the opening day of the Rallye Deutschland to get back into the groove of asphalt driving for the first time since Monte Carlo more than six months ago. Despite a completely new surface and a new specification of Pirelli tyre, neither Suzuki SX4 WRC encountered the slightest mechanical problem throughout the day. Having used the shakedown test yesterday to start work on finding the best possible set-up for the event, both drivers continued to make solid progress throughout the day and they are equally confident of being able to improve their positions tomorrow.
Toni Gardemeister: "The day didn't start very well for me - I stalled the engine at one hairpin which meant I dropped time. There are so many corners and junctions in these stages that it's really hard on the brakes. Apart from that, the day has been good and the car has been absolutely fine."
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: "Our cars have been very reliable so far, and we are well-poised to improve our positions tomorrow on what are sure to be some extremely challenging stages, with the possibility of wet weather as well."
Results after first day:
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 00min 22.5sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 00min 42.4sec
3. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 00min 48.1sec
4. F Duval/P Pivato BEL Ford Focus RS 1hr 01min 01.2sec
5. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 01min 18.2sec
6. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 1hr 01min 26.4sec
7. C Atkinson/S Prévot AUS Subaru Impreza 1hr 01min 56.5sec
8. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 01min 58.7sec
9. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 1hr 02min 01.9sec
10 T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 1hr 02min 34.9sec
11.8.2008 - Toni Gardemeister gets back to asphalt
The Rallye Deutschland sees Suzuki get back to asphalt rallying for the first time this year since Monte Carlo. Nonetheless, the asphalt of Germany is far from typical of this surface, containing an extraordinary variety of driving conditions. The rally is actually made up of three old national events rolled into one, and this is evident in the disparate nature of all three days.
The opening day takes place over the famous vineyard roads near the Mosel River, in an area that is famous for producing some of Germany's most celebrated wines. These roads are narrow and slippery with grape mulch, consisting of long straights followed by tight hairpin bends. Accurate pace notes - and an effective handbrake technique - are the key ingredients to success here.
The second day is the most fearsome of the lot, taking place over the Baumholder military ranges. This includes the famous Panzerplatte stages, run on concrete roads that were originally used for testing tanks. There are several hazards to watch out for: the concrete roads become very slippery when wet and they also have sharp square edges, which can easily cause punctures. No mistakes go unpunished, as the stages are lined with hinkelsteins: huge blocks of concrete that were once designed to stop tanks going off. They do an equally effective, if brutal, job of stopping errant World Rally Cars.
The third and last day is much more like a conventional asphalt rally. The sweeping roads are smooth, fast and flowing - providing a thrilling finale to three days of non-stop action.
The rally is based in the university town of Trier: Germany's oldest city, just across the border from Luxembourg. Trier pre-dates the Roman era, and the start and finish of the rally - as well as the hugely popular spectator superspecial - is held near the stunning Porta Nigra: the original Roman gateway to the city. In total the rally comprises 19 special stages over 353.75 competitive kilometres. For more information: www.rallye-deutschland.de
Germany will be the first asphalt outing for the latest development parts on the SX4 WRC, which made their debut in Finland and helped Toni Gardemeister to a solid points finish. In fact, a number of components have changed on the car since it was last seen on asphalt back in January - designed to improve both speed and reliability.
In particular, the bodyshell is lighter with improved power to the engine. A lot of work has been done to refine suspension and differential settings, in order to provide better handling, ride, traction and grip. Finally, there is increased cooling and underbody protection, which is primarily designed to help the car's level of reliability.
However, as this is only the 10th rally of the SX4 WRC's first full season a lot of work remains to be done. The sheer mixture of conditions in Germany is sure to accelerate the learning curve of the drivers and team as the event progresses.
Both Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson have previous experience of the Rallye Deutschland, although Andersson has only ever driven it once as part of the Junior World Rally Championship. Gardemeister, by contrast, knows the rally well, having been there six times. His best result was fourth in 2006, and he was seventh overall on his last participation in 2007. Having scored one driver point on his most recent outing in Finland - reputed to be the fastest and most challenging rally of them all - he is feeling upbeat heading into Germany.
"I like asphalt driving, although Germany is far from typical asphalt," Gardemeister said."In many ways it is a bit like Monte Carlo, as the amount of grip you get from the roads is always changing and you never know what the weather conditions are going to be like. I'm not really sure why, but these kind of conditions tend to suit me. Although there are some fast bits, this is not a rally that is all about maximum power: instead you need to have a car that is quite good in every area and most of all you need to stay out of trouble. If we can avoid problems this rally could be a very good opportunity for us."
Less than two weeks after the rapid gravel of Rally Finland, Suzuki now sets its sights firmly on asphalt - with three asphalt rallies coming up in the last six events of the season. With much of the development work having taken place on gravel so far, the learning process effectively starts all over again for the drivers and the engineers. Nonetheless, the Suzuki World Rally Team has already shown that it can adapt itself quickly to new surfaces, putting the SX4 WRC in a strong position to set convincing stage times in only its first full year of competition.
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima, the Principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: "Germany is maybe the most difficult asphalt rally of them all, and we come to it having not competed on this surface for seven months. It is also the first time in Germany for the SX4 WRC, so we will use the rally to fine-tune the set-up of the car to its very specific demands. There is a lot to learn, but historically this is a rally where it is possible to do well by staying out of trouble. My advice to the drivers is to avoid any unnecessary risks; in the meantime we will continue our work in trying to improve the performance and the reliability of the SX4 WRC."
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