Leg 3: Productive Weekend for Suzuki in Corsica The Rallye de France - Tour de Corse finished today with four special stages, run as two loops of two with service at Ajaccio in between. The action today consisted of classic Corsica stages, with several tight hairpin bends and plenty of loose gravel on the road where previous cars had cut the corners. This tested traction and grip to the maximum, forming a valuable part of Suzuki's testing programme on the Rallye de France. The event also constituted the final round of the Junior Rally Championship, which was won by a Suzuki Swift Super 1600.

Car news - Suzuki SX4 WRC n.19:
The Suzuki SX4 WRC crew of Nicolas Bernardi and Jean-Marc Fortin were delighted to reach the finish of their car's debut event. The aim for them on this rally has been to continue the development programme on asphalt, and throughout the three days of the Rallye de France the team has been able to sample a wide variety of asphalt conditions.
The car re-started under the super rally system this morning, having been halted by an unforeseen fuel injector problem yesterday. It ran without major problems throughout today's four stages, totalling 112 competitive kilometres, although Bernardi was slowed by a hydraulic-related gearshift problem, which meant that the car was sometimes reluctant to change gear. Nonetheless he brought it safely to the finish, having collected vital data that will be essential for development in the future.

Driver news:
Suzuki World Rally Team driver Nicolas Bernardi enjoyed the final day behind the wheel of the SX4 WRC, on roads that he has some experience of from the past.
He said: "We've been able to confirm a number of things we have discovered from our previous test programme and formulate some very clear ideas about the right direction for the future. During the afternoon we had a problem that affected the gearshift, but it did not stop me from enjoying these fantastic roads!"

Team news:
The team has done what it set out to do in Corsica, learning some valuable lessons that will contribute to the future development of the SX4 WRC. Nobuhiro Tajima, team principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: "We're very pleased to get our all-new car to the finish of this event, which was our main objective here. Today's hydraulic problem was a small inconvenience, but it is all part of the process of testing. This experience has taught us a lot, and we now have several ideas about how we will work on fine-tuning the development of our car.."

The Suzuki World Rally Team's next event will be the all-gravel Rally Great Britain, round 16 of the World Rally Championship, from November 30-December 2. Sebastian Lindholm will drive the SX4 WRC, co-driven by Tomi Tuominen.

Car news - Suzuki SX4 WRC n.19:
The Suzuki SX4 WRC re-started leg two of the rally under the super rally system, in order to continue the testing and development campaign that is being carried out on the demanding asphalt roads of Corsica. It had no problems at all during the opening loop of three stages, posting some encouraging times just outside the top 10 - even though Bernardi was under strict instructions not to push. After service in Ajaccio, competitors headed out for a repeat of the stages in the afternoon. Unfortunately Bernardi was forced to stop after SS10 because of a broken fuel injector, and the SX4 WRC was recovered to the service park. There, the team's engineers were able to analyse the unforeseen problem and re-prepare the car for the final day of the rally tomorrow.

Driver news:
Suzuki World Rally Team driver Nicolas Bernardi has been growing in confidence with more time behind the wheel of the SX4 WRC, but he fulfilled the team's request to concentrate exclusively on testing. He said: "We're basically learning more with every kilometre. We've not had so much running on asphalt, so this is a valuable opportunity to develop the car further. I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's stages, which are more traditional Corsica Rally stages from the past."

Team news:
The team made excellent progress in developing the SX4 WRC for bumpy asphalt today. Nobuhiro Tajima, team principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: "It's been another very educational day, which was quite different to the opening day. We gained plenty of experience, and we will continue to do so tomorrow. The problem with the fuel injector was unusual, but it is not serious and easily fixed: this is all part of the learning process. Nicolas did another excellent job for us today, and I believe that the team as a whole is working very well together."

Tomorrow's action starts at 08:53 (local time) with the first of four more all-asphalt special stages covering 112.10 kilometres, before the rally finish in Ajaccio at 14:30.

Leg 1: Suzuki World Rally Team climbs Corsican learning curve After years of planning, Suzuki's new SX4 World Rally Car saw competitive action for the first time today. Nonetheless, Nicolas Bernardi and his co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin were aiming only to accumulate as much data as possible for the car's continued development. The action consisted of just five all-asphalt stages today after the first test was cancelled due to spectator overcrowding.

Car news - Suzuki SX4 WRC n.19:
The Suzuki SX4 WRC had a successful run through the two stages in the morning, posting 15th fastest time on SS2 and an extremely encouraging 11th fastest time on SS3 - just outside the top 10. After service, the crews headed to SS4. Halfway through the stage, Bernardi noticed a warning light that appeared to indicate high water temperature - so he chose to retire from the leg at the end of the stage in order to preserve the car and give Suzuki's engineers the best possible chance of identifying the problem. The car was recovered to the service area in Ajaccio, where it was discovered that the temperature warning light related to hydraulic fluid rather than water - and that the engine of the SX4 WRC was completely undamaged. Consequently, the car will be back in action tomorrow under the super rally rules.

Driver news:
Suzuki World Rally Team driver Nicolas Bernardi was pleased by his first experience of the SX4 WRC under competitive conditions - although he emphasised that the accent was firmly on testing. "We had no problems at all in the morning, which was extremely encouraging but to be honest we were not pushing really hard. It felt good to set times so close to the top 10 - but this was not at all the objective. On SS4 I noticed a warning light that said the car was overheating, and I called the team to ask for advice. Unfortunately the line was extremely bad and it was not easy to describe the warning light that we had seen. Rather than risk any further engine damage that could compromise our testing campaign, we decided to switch it off. The ironic thing is that this was completely unnecessary. We've learnt a lot of lessons today - but this was not one that we expected!"

Team news:
The team worked its way through a programme designed to assess the capabilities of the SX4 WRC on asphalt, with positive results. Nobuhiro Tajima, team principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: "It's been a very exciting day, and I'm proud of the performance of our team under these very challenging conditions. The circumstances of our ‘retirement' today were bizarre, but we look at every problem or misunderstanding as just an opportunity to learn more. Before then, the SX4 WRC had shown some very encouraging potential and we hope to continue like this tomorrow."

Tomorrow's action starts at 08:58 (local time) with the first of six more all-asphalt special stages covering 122.94 kilometres.

More information: www.suzuki-wrc.com