The inaugural Rally Norway is the first round of the 2007 Junior Rally Championship, held on snowy and twisty roads around the town of Hamar. Drivers have to contend with huge snowbanks and sub-zero temperatures, but they get a very warm welcome from the Norwegian fans. Suzuki returns to the Junior Championship this year with two Swifts for P-G Andersson from Sweden and Urmo Aava from Estonia. Both drivers completed the short shakedown stage this morning with no problems, which was a last-minute opportunity to try out the car, finalise set-up and assess the conditions. The crews then took the ceremonial start in Hamar, in front of hundreds of spectators and the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg.

The real action starts tomorrow morning however, with the first of 18 special stages across the frozen Norwegian countryside. In total, the crews will tackle 355 competitive kilometres over the three days scheduled for the rally. Norway is a brand new event for everybody, so nobody starts with an advantage. This should make the spectacular action even closer and more thrilling than usual!

News From P-G Andersson
P-G Andersson: "After a long time off over the winter, I'm really looking forward to getting back into a Suzuki rally car and starting the season again. Shakedown this morning was good, although we made a few adjustments on the car just to make the handling a little more precise. These roads are quite narrow in places, so it's important to make sure you have no understeer or oversteer. Coming from Sweden, I really enjoy driving in the snow so I think it should be a good rally for us. This year once more our aim is definitely to try and win the championship!"

News from Urmo Aava
"I am very happy to be part of the Suzuki family this year alongside P-G: we already know each other well and we will work well together. I was very happy with my Swift during the shakedown today: I just did one pass over the stage and everything felt fine, so there was no need to do any more. It was fun to go over the start ramp in the centre of the town and see all the fans, but I just want the proper stages to start now. From what I could see on the recce they will be fun to drive and they should suit our car well."

News from Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima, team principal
"Another very busy and exciting year for Suzuki starts here in Norway. As well as the Junior Rally Championship campaign, we are also working hard on our World Rally Car. Nonetheless, we have a strong focus on winning the Junior title again, and this year promises to provide even closer competition in the series. We start the season feeling confident, as both the Suzuki Swift and its drivers are very well-established and proven products. Rally Norway will be a very big challenge as it is completely new for everybody. I would like to remind our drivers that the championship is very long: it is important to get off to a solid start, and begin the year in a positive way."

2007 SUZUKI ALL DRIVERS:

Car No. Driver Co Driver Car
43 Vilius Rozukas (LT) Audrius Shosyas (LT) SWIFT Super 1600
45 P-G Andersson (S) Jonas Andersson (S) SWIFT Super 1600
32 Urmo Aava (EE) Kulder Sikk (EE) SWIFT Super 1600
42 Aiger Pars (EE) Ken Jarveoja (EE) SWIFT Super 1600
36 Jaan Molder (EE) Katrin Becker (D) SWIFT Super 1600