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31.8.2008 - Suzuki celebrates with both SX4 WRCs in the points in New Zealand
The final day of Rally New Zealand took crews to some of the most photographed and talked about stages on the whole World Rally Championship calendar. The Te Hutewai and Whaanga Coast stages go as far west of the rally base in Hamilton as possible - they run along the headland of the Tasman Sea. Both Suzuki drivers Toni Gardemeister and P-G Andersson were looking forward to the stages, which are as much a treat for the drivers as they are for the spectators. And they turned out to be a fitting setting for Suzuki's best World Rally Championship finish yet, with Andersson climbing the leaderboard through the final day to sixth and his team-mate Gardemeister finishing just one place further back in seventh place. It was no wonder the drivers received such a rapturous welcome back into Hamilton from the local Kiwi fans and everybody in the Suzuki World Rally Team. A trouble-free run to seven points on one of the toughest rallies in the world was the perfect result for everybody.
Andersson's only problem through the final day's 85 kilometres of competitive action was a double puncture on the penultimate stage, beyond that both Suzuki SX4 WRCs ran without any technical faults - as they have done for all three days and 353 kilometres of Rally New Zealand.
Toni Gardemeister: "I really enjoy these roads and today, like every day on this rally, the SX4 WRC worked very well. I had a spin on the long one this morning, it was quite tough to find the feeling on the gravel in there, but after that the day has been getting better and better. The team has worked really hard for this and we deserve the points and the finish. I'm really happy."
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: "As you can imagine, I'm pretty delighted with the way things have gone. This is a great payback for all the incredible hard work everybody in the team has put in. We have all worked tirelessly towards seeing the Suzuki SX4 WRC show this kind of reliability and pace. There's more to come, but for now we're all just going to enjoy this result. Fantastic!"
Final positions
1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 3hr 59min 18.9sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 3hr 59min 36.4sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 00min 00.4sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 4hr 02min 07.8sec
5. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 4hr 02min 49.6sec
6. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 4hr 06min 56.3sec
7. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 4hr 07min 13.8sec
8. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 4hr 07min 53.9sec
9. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 4hr 08min 34.1sec
10 M Prokop/J Tomanek CZE Mitsubishi Lancer 4hr 13min 07.9sec
30.8.2008 - Suzuki maintains pace and points places through tough day two in NZ
The second day of Rally New Zealand included the three longest stages of the event. Once again, the story was about finding grip through the deep gravel, which coated the fast, but technical North Island roads. Despite those tricky conditions, P-G Andersson drove consistently and quickly through the day's six stages to maintain his grip on eighth place. Toni Gardemeister ensured both Suzukis were in the top 10 after another fine day behind the wheel of his ninth-placed SX4 WRC.
Andersson's Suzuki SX4 WRC ran without any problems throughout the second day, but the Swede made some changes to the car to try and improve the traction and damping. The sister car of Gardemeister suffered a brake problem in the Franklin stage, probably caused by a stone. Gardemeister managed to get through the stage, back in the service area the team changed all of the components and both cars enjoyed a trouble-free afternoon.
Toni Gardemeister: "This morning was okay for the first two stages. It was slippery, worse than yesterday - there was more gravel around. But then we had the brake trouble in the third stage, caused by a loss of the brake fluid, which unfortunately also affected the clutch. The afternoon was good again. I had driven these stages before and like them, they're nice and quick, like the traditional Rally New Zealand roads."
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: "It's been another strong day for the Suzuki team and the SX4 WRC. Toni's brake trouble was frustrating this morning, but otherwise it's been good today. These conditions are not easy, all of the teams are talking about the gravel and the same problem. However we're really happy with the performance of the car, the drivers and the whole team."
Leaderboard after Day 2
1. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 57min 29.0sec
2. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 57min 38.3sec
3. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 2hr 57min 42.3sec
4. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 57min 44.7sec
5. F Duval/P Pivato BEL Ford Focus RS 2hr 59min 09.9sec
6. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 3hr 00min 18.8sec
7. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 3hr 00min 21.8sec
8. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 3hr 02min 00.0sec
9. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 3hr 04min 06.4sec
10 F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 3hr 04min 25.8sec
29.8.2008 - Suzuki SX4 WRCs in points positions at the end of Rally NZ day one
Both Suzuki SX4 WRCs held top-10 positions at the end of an impressive opening day of Rally New Zealand for drivers P-G Andersson and Toni Gardemeister. Swede Andersson was never out of the top-10 fastest times on the long stages out west of the rally's base in Hamilton. In SS2.2, Andersson was fifth fastest, just 4.2 seconds off the fastest time - a feat he repeated on the day's final stage at Mystery Creek. His team-mate Gardemeister (Finland) was disappointed when he dropped more than a minute in the first stage of the day due to a puncture, but he battled back to move an incredible 14 places up the leaderboard by the close of play. The torrential rain ahead of the event had washed a section of the Waitomo stage away, forcing the organisers to split the stage in two in order to avoid the worst affected area. Despite the terrible weather ahead of the event, the entire opening leg was run in glorious sunshine, with temperatures closing on 20 degrees in this southern hemisphere winter.
Both cars ran without any technical fault through the opening day's 138 kilometres of flat-out action. Gardemeister's only trouble was his SS1 deflation on the right-rear tyre. Both Toni and P-G worked on the set-up of their SX4 WRC at the lunchtime service halt, softening the car in order to try and find more traction on the gravel-strewn North Island roads.
Toni Gardemeister: "This morning was disappointing for me. I really wanted a good run here and had a nice feeling, but then we got the puncture. After that, the rest of the day has been good. No problems. The car has been running well, but the conditions have been tough this morning. Running through the stages the second time, the line is looking cleaner which is helping to give us more traction."
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager: "Without Toni's puncture this morning, this would have been pretty much the perfect day for the team. Neither car has had any kind of a problem, which is really satisfying for Suzuki after all the hard work, which has been put in on the SX4 WRC. Tomorrow's stages are a bit faster and more flowing, so we're looking forward to some more trouble-free and fast running from both P-G and Toni."
Leaderboard after Day 1
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 34min 44.3sec
2. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 35min 12.1sec
3. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 35min 14.3sec
4. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 35min 14.4sec
5. F Duval/P Pivato BEL Ford Focus RS 1hr 36min 12.2sec
6. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 1hr 36min 45.6sec
7. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 1hr 37min 10.1sec
8. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 1hr 37min 34.8sec
9. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 1hr 38min 32.3sec
10 F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 1hr 39min 31.8sec
22.8.2008 - Suzuki goes with the flow in New Zealand
The fast and flowing gravel roads of New Zealand could not provide a greater contrast to the previous round of the World Rally Championship, held on asphalt in Germany. New Zealand is the longest of the long-haul rallies but it is also one of every driver's favourite events. One look at the roads and it is easy to see why: the rollercoaster stages are rapid and challenging, snaking their way through the lush green countryside of New Zealand's spectacular North Island.
The main characteristics of the stages are the heavily cambered corners - a bit like banking on a race circuit - that allow the drivers to carry plenty of speed through the bends. These corners come up in rapid succession, so it is crucial for drivers to find the right rhythm to make the car flow from one bend to the next. Get it right, and the satisfaction is enormous, as the car will float almost effortlessly through the twisty stages. Get it wrong and there is potential for an accident, particularly with the amount of loose gravel by the side of the road. To add another intriguing element into the mix, weather conditions are often variable in New Zealand: the fertile green countryside is the direct result of frequent rain showers.
This year's Rally New Zealand is located once more around the town of Hamilton, about two hours' drive south of Auckland. The rally gets underway in the evening of Thursday 28th August with a ceremonial start in Hamilton town centre at 18:30. The opening day on Friday concludes with a spectator superspecial stage in the Mystery Creek complex, which houses the service park as well. This superspecial is also the 16th and last stage of the rally on Sunday 31st August, just before the finish podium at 15:00. For more details please visit: www.rallynz.org
Just like Rally Finland, New Zealand is not too hard on mechanical components. This is because the stages have a reasonably smooth gravel surface, with not too many heavy braking areas, and enough airflow to assist engine and brake cooling. The base set-up will be similar to that used in Finland (in fact, Toni Gardemeister's car is the very same one he drove in Finland), although the cars tend to ride a little higher and softer in New Zealand to cope with the undulating roads. On the second run through the stages the surfaces can cut up quite badly, so it is important to have a flexible approach to set-up.
Both Suzuki drivers have been extremely pleased with the SX4 WRC's level of reliability over the last two rallies, and the team now plans to continue this solid form on the other side of the world in New Zealand. The suspension and damper settings will be specifically refined for the local roads, making the shakedown test on Thursday morning an important opportunity to fine-tune the SX4 WRC to yet another rally that is entirely new to it.
A raft of improvements to the car originally introduced for Rally Finland - such as evolutions to the bodyshell and engine - should be well-suited to the roads in New Zealand as well. The cars will use Pirelli's hard compound Scorpion gravel tyres for the first time since the Rally of Turkey in June.
New Zealand is one of the favourite rallies of Suzuki's lead driver Toni Gardemeister, who has participated on the Antipodean event six times. Back in 1999, Toni made his World Rally Car debut in New Zealand - and went on to finish a stunning third overall in his first event! It was one of the most remarkable starts to a World Rally career ever made, and the Finn has loved the twisty roads of the island ever since. Of his six participations, Toni has finished in the points four times. However, he has not contested the rally since 2005 and the route has changed considerably since then, with the move south to Hamilton.
"This rally is great fun to drive: it's like nowhere else in the world," said Toni. "It's been a long time since I drove in New Zealand and most of the stages will be new to me, but I'm looking forward to them and I think they should suit us well. I've always had a good feeling in New Zealand and if things go well we have a decent chance of a good result. The most important thing is that our SX4 WRC seems very reliable now, so if we stay out of trouble again we can hope to score some points. Certain parts of Rally New Zealand are a little bit like Finland, but you don't need so much power: it's more a question of carrying the momentum through all the bends and finding a good rhythm."
"There's going to be a lot for me to take on board, but from what I remember of the Rally New Zealand I liked it very much," said P-G. "It's the sort of place where you can't force a car: you have to drive naturally and let the rhythm come to you. In that respect, it's a little bit similar to Sweden. I'm going to try not to make any mistakes, and hopefully we should have a good result to show for our efforts."
The long trip to New Zealand will be as much a test for the whole Suzuki team as it will for the two drivers. The entire team's equipment is freighted around the long-haul events in large containers, which means that the mechanics will not be working out of the usual trucks and motorhomes. With New Zealand time 10 hours ahead of Central European Time, the team personnel also have to cope with the effects of jet lag in a very different environment. Nonetheless, Suzuki has extensive experience of competing in the Far East thanks to its previous successful campaigns in the FIA Asia-Pacific Championship. The SX4 WRC has demonstrated impressive reliability over the last few events, and the team aims firmly to consolidate the consistency shown to date and work on the car's speed.
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima, the Principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: "New Zealand is an absolutely classic event, which is also a very good all-round test of driver and car. It is precisely by confronting challenges such as this one that we can continue to improve our car and build on the concrete progress that we have made to date."
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