Leg 3: Suzuki pleased with gravel debut on Rally Great Britain Suzuki has successfully completed the all-gravel Rally Great Britain, the second World Championship Rally of the Japanese firm's testing programme this year. Despite the extremely difficult and slippery conditions, Finnish driver Sebastian Lindholm got the all-new SX4 WRC to the end of the event in order to accumulate more valuable testing distance and try out some different setups.

Today's final leg of the event - which is also the last round of the 2007 World Rally Championship - consisted of four demanding special stages, totalling 114 competitive kilometres.

Car news - Suzuki SX4 WRC n.19:
The Suzuki engineers continued to assess the car in the mud and gravel of Great Britain, having been pleased by the general level of reliability of the SX4 WRC on its very first loose-surface event. On the opening day, the team was hit with bad luck when a sharp stone severed a brake pipe but on the remaining two legs the car ran reliably and consistently all day. Lindholm worked at refining suspension settings on the final day of the rally, which was again characterised by extremely bad weather.

Driver news:
Sebastian Lindholm has been responsible for the gravel development of the SX4 WRC since the car's inception and he enjoyed confirming the settings established during private testing in competition on Rally Great Britain. "We've done a lot of useful work throughout this event, and gathered a lot of information that will be crucial for the future," said the 46 year-old Lindholm, who last competed on the Rally Great Britain in 1998 finishing fifth. "Our objective from the beginning of this rally was simply to get to the end: we weren't even looking at the stage times or taking any risks. The conditions throughout all three days were very bad, but this is typical of Wales so it was a very good learning experience for us."

Team news:
The Suzuki World Rally Team came away from the Rally Great Britain with plenty of information that will be vital for the car's development in the future. Nobuhiro Tajima, team principal, commented: "We are very pleased with the progress that has been made on the Rally Great Britain, thanks to all the hard work from our test team and drivers. In extreme weathers we have gained a lot of data, tested many things and have had quite a few problems that we have had to solve. If we had encountered no problems at all then I would have been very worried. Setting fast times was not our objective this weekend. Overall throughout the entire testing programme with the SX4 WRC we consider all our experiences, both good and bad, to have been very valuable. Our testing objectives for 2007 have been fulfilled and the experience gained has put us in a much better position than when we began. Next year will be a new start for the Suzuki World Rally Team: testing is over now and for 2008 a new strategy will begin with a new team. We look forward to our fresh challenges coming up!"

The winner of round two was Frenchman Nicolas Bernardi, who gave the SX4 WRC its world debut in Corsica nearly two months ago.

Lindholm started day two of the Wales Rally Great Britain under the super rally system, in order to accumulate more testing distance ahead of the SX4 WRC's first full season in 2008. Today's action consisted of 104 competitive kilometres, on loose and muddy gravel surfaces made wet by overnight rain.

Car news - Suzuki SX4 WRC No.19:
The Suzuki engineers tried out several different suspension and differential settings on the SX4 WRC today, in order to maximise traction and grip in the slippery conditions. There was no repeat of any of the brake problems that halted Lindholm yesterday, and plenty of useful information was gained.

During the opening loop of three stages, Lindholm said that the car felt slightly nervous on the straights. The Suzuki engineers solved this problem at service by adjusting the suspension set-up.

Driver news:
Lindholm enjoyed the challenge of getting to grips with the Rally Great Britain stages again, having last competed on the event back in 1998 when he finished fifth.

"It feels like yesterday!" he joked in the service park at Swansea. "In terms of development, we are more or less where we expected to be. Of course we are trying different things all the time, but that is why we are here. Testing on a real rally is much more revealing than simply testing at a private venue. If you are on a test stage, you very quickly learn the road and you can compensate for any problems that might arrive. On a real rally, every corner is different. We've really enjoyed today, but we are not looking at the stage times: it's all about development."

Team news:
The Suzuki World Rally Team was satisfied with the reliability of the car and all the work that was carried out today.

Nobuhiro Tajima, team principal, commented: "Once more the conditions on this extremely fast rally have been a really big challenge, but Sebastian and Tomi have kept a calm head and done exactly what we asked of them. By completing all of today's stages, we have gained a lot of set-up information that will be crucial for the future. Tomorrow's stages are even longer than today's distance, so we hope to continue our learning programme at the same sort of pace in order to accomplish our mission here in Great Britain. We are not so interested in the stage times, but finishing the rally and gaining information."

Leg 1: Adventurous start for Suzuki on Rally Great Britain Suzuki will return to the Rally Great Britain on leg two of the event, after the SX4 WRC's gravel debut was interrupted by a stone that damaged a brake pipe. Sebastian Lindholm, Suzuki's test driver, started the event with the intention of accumulating as many kilometres as possible in order to continue the all-new car's development programme.

This morning's conditions were very foggy and also extremely unlucky for Lindholm's Suzuki, which encountered the rogue stone on the very first stage. The Finn tried to fix the problem but it proved to be impossible. After driving slowly through the second stage, the team decided that it would be best to recover the SX4 WRC to the service park in order to fully investigate the issue and be sure of running at full speed tomorrow.

Car news - Suzuki SX4 WRC No.19:
Lindholm tried his best to fix the Suzuki by the roadside after the opening stage, but the drivers only carry limited tools and spare parts. Away from the service park outside assistance is not permitted, so the crew were forced to rely on their own ingenuity. They were eventually able to continue at reduced speed, but stopped the car after the second stage on safety grounds. Tonight it will be thoroughly investigated and re-prepared by the Suzuki mechanics in time for leg two tomorrow.

Driver news:
Although Lindholm did not get to complete the testing distance that the Suzuki World Rally Team had hoped for today, the Finn underlined the fact that problems inevitably form part of the development process. He said: "It's a pity that we had this setback so early, but at least now we have a chance to get our car back to service and fix the brake pipe properly, so that we can continue to work on our testing programme for the remainder of the event. However, even during the short distance we have run, I can feel that the fundamental balance of the car is very good and that is an extremely positive sign for the future."

Team news:
The entire Suzuki World Rally Team is learning as much as the drivers with every kilometre, and tonight they face the challenge of re-preparing the Suzuki for the remaining two days of the event in limited time - while trying to ensure that the brake problem does not repeat itself. Nobuhiro Tajima, team principal of the Suzuki World Rally Team, commented: "This is what testing is all about: identifying potential problems and solving them. Our objective at the start of the rally was to bring our car safely back to the finish with plenty of valuable information and this remains unaltered. Thanks to Sebastian's experience and his sensible approach, I am sure we can still get a lot out of the Rally Great Britain in these very difficult conditions. What we have suffered from today was just pure bad luck: we start again tomorrow!"

More information: www.suzuki-wrc.com