Suzuki News

Leg 3

Leg information:
Stages: 4 (85.66 kms competitive total)
Surface: Asphalt
Weather: Dry, cool in the morning with temperatures rising

Suzuki driver P-G Andersson has won the Junior Championship classification on the Catalunya Rally, setting up a thrilling title showdown with his team mate Urmo Aava on the final round in Corsica – which takes place in just one week’s time. Both Suzuki drivers are now tied on 38 points, meaning that it will be a straight fight to the finish. Aava was third in Catalunya, having led the event on the opening day despite mixed weather conditions. He then picked up a puncture on SS8, which cost nearly two minutes, and P-G took the lead. Both of the Suzuki Swift Super 1600s were entirely reliable throughout the 352 competitive kilometres of the rally.

News from P-G Andersson (S):
P-G Andersson (1st in JRC after SS18): “Today I concentrated on making it to the finish safely and keeping the car on the road. I didn’t want any more excitement than we had already! My chances of winning the championship are 50-50 now, so we have to be flat-out in Corsica. Urmo drove very well here: I did not actually expect him to be quite so quick. After he had his puncture on day two I was able to slow down a bit, and concentrate on refining some of my car settings for Corsica. After three days of asphalt driving here in Spain, we should be well-prepared for the challenge of Corsica. I think it will be an epic fight, which is great for the sport!”

News from Urmo Aava (EE):
Urmo Aava (3rd in JRC after SS18): “I started the day more than a minute behind P-G but just 14 seconds off second place, so I knew that it would be possible to try and capture it. Unfortunately I had a spin on the second stage today that cost me about eight seconds. This made my job much harder for the two stages that remained. The 14-second gap made too risky to push really hard, so I just drove at my own pace to the end. It’s a pity that I had my puncture yesterday as things were looking good, but that’s just part of rallying so there’s no point in thinking much about it. Nothing is lost as now we go to Corsica with an equal chance of winning the championship.”

News from Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, team principal:
“Congratulations to P-G and Urmo, who have set up a thrilling finale to this year’s Junior Championship! It was a shame that Urmo had his puncture on Saturday, but this is what you risk when you push hard on a complex rally like Catalunya. Corsica could be even more difficult, and any mistake will certainly be even more costly. Both our drivers will be under a lot of pressure, but to triumph they need to finish: I wish them both luck and may the best man win!”

Junior Rally Championship classification after SS18, Catalunya Rally:
1 P-G Andersson (Suzuki Swift S1600) 3h44m24.5s
2 Martin Prokop (Citroen C2 S1600) +33.9s
3 Urmo Aava (Suzuki Swift S1600) +39.9s
4 Josef Beres (Renault Clio S1600) +3m39.4s
5 Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen C2 S1600) +4m59.8s
6 Jaan Molder (Suzuki Swift S1600) +8m59.5s
7 Aaron Burkart (Citroen C2 S1600) +10m39.6s
8 Yoann Bonato (Citroen C2-R2) +12m38.9s

Junior Rally Championship after Catalunya Rally (round 6 of 7):
1 P-G Andersson (Suzuki) 38
2 Urmo Aava (Suzuki) 38
3 Martin Prokop (Citroen) 24
4 Jaan Molder (Suzuki) 20
5 Patrick Sandell (Renault) 19
6 Josef Beres (Renault) 18
7 Aaron Burkart (Citroen) 16
8 Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen) 15

Dealer Team Suzuki’s James Wozencroft brought his Suzuki Swift Sport 1600 Group N2 car home in 1st position in class at the Cork 20 International Rally to secure 2nd position in the Irish Tarmac Championship behind team mate Lorna Smith who had already won the Championship title prior to competing in Cork.

Both Suzuki Swift Sport 1600 Group N2 cars finished the Cork International Rally in 1st and 2nd position in class after 2 days on the variable and challenging tarmac surfaces in and around Cork.

Lorna Smith and Joanne Oakey also picked up the award for the best female crew.  

Commenting on the result, Team Manager Ian Robinson said: “We have achieved our first goal by winning the Irish Tarmac Championship. This result is testament to a fine team effort, a strong car, piloted by two competitive and experienced crews, and supported by a professional service crew. This result would not have been possible without the backing of our sister company Suzuki Ireland who we thank for their support.” 

Dealer Team Suzuki now heads off to the Yorkshire International Rally on 6th October, the next round of The British Rally Championship, with the aim of maintaining their slender lead in class R2. Ian Robinson said: “This will be a difficult task, but with the final round at Wales Rally GB scoring double points, we are in a good position to challenge for the title.”