Suzuki Sport Europe driver Jaan Molder looked well set to collect his second runners-up spot in as many Junior World Rally Championship rounds in Jordan. The Estonian was looking comfortable in second before he rolled off the road and into retirement on the first stage of the afternoon. Michal Kosciuszko's second Suzuki Sport Europe Swift Super 1600 did not re-start this morning.

News from Jaan Molder (Suzuki Swift n.32):
"This morning was good for me, the first two stages in particular went well. I had some problems with the notes in the third stage. We had three or four moments when the car was sliding a lot. I decided that Sebastien [Ogier] was too far ahead to try and catch him. Crashing out on SS20 was really disappointing. It was looking like I was going to take more points from Jordan, but now there's nothing. Very tough."

News from Michal Kosciuszko (Suzuki Swift n.35):
"We were expecting a good fight in Jordan. On the stage, I think we could show our potential. It was going well and we continued our test for Sardinia and found the right set-up. I believe we will be able to have more competitive fight in Sardinia for victory."

News from Florian Niegel (Suzuki Swift n.43):
"I am so happy to get to the end of this event. I can't tell you how tough it has been. The sun and the heat have been incredible. The car has worked so hard and been really reliable. I wasn't going to push too hard this morning. I didn't want to make any mistakes. Really, with the finish and points on my first time out in sight, I did not want to make any mistakes with the car, but to be able to push a bit harder and get into fourth on the final stage was amazing."

Final standings:
1 Sebastien OGIER Citroen C2 1600 4:29:57.8 0.0
2 Shaun GALLAGHER Citroen C2 4:34:57.9 +5:00.1
3 Gilles SCHAMMEL Renault Clio R3 4:37:29.4 +7:31.6
4 Florian NIEGEL Suzuki Swift S1600 4:50:17.4 +20:19.6
5 Stefano ALBERTINI Renault Clio 4:50:58.6 +21:00.8
6 Simone BERTOLOTTI Renault Clio Sport CR 4:51:14.1 +21:16.3
7 Andrea CORTINOVIS Renault Clio 4:58:45.1 +28:47.3
8 Milos KOMLJENOVIC Renault Clio R3 5:36:31.2 +1:06:33.4

Day 2: SUZUKI STILL CHALLENGING AT THE FRONT OF JWRC

The Suzuki Swift Super 1600 of Jaan Molder remains firmly in the fight for second position in the JWRC classification of Jordan Rally. Molder endured a tough day in the exceptionally tricky stages running close to the Dead Sea. Despite the conditions, the Estonian is third - just 24 seconds off second place with the longest of the three days yet to run. Molder's hopes of repeating his fine second place on the series opener in Mexico were hit by differential and electrical trouble aboard the Swift today, but he remains optimistic for tomorrow's six stages. Molder's Suzuki Sport Europe team-mate Michal Kosciuszko is 12th at the end of the leg. Despite slipping down the order, the Polish driver was delighted to post his first fastest JWRC time in Jordan. He beat the best of the rest in the category on the first run through the Shuna test this morning.

Florian Niegel, driving the Suzuki Rallye Junior Team Germany's Swift Super 1600, enjoyed a solid day, despite suffering some power loss from a broken exhaust this morning. He now has his sights firmly set on scoring a point on his first outing of the season.

News from Michal Kosciuszko (Suzuki Swift n.35):
"After a change of set up, we could make a big step. The Swift behaved perfectly and I am very happy with this set-up of the car. It was fantastic to win a stage - that really shows the pace of the Swift. It was also good that it was the longest stage of the day which we won. As well as that, we also had many second places in the stages. Another positive for me was that I could test many things for Sardinia. This is good experience and test for the next event."

News from Florian Niegel (Suzuki Swift n.43):
"We started a little bit slower this morning to gather important experience and to grow as a whole team. This is very important for newcomers like us to get more and more experience and to be able to test some aspects under competitive conditions. Also for tomorrow, our plan is to be careful on the rocky and difficult stages to ensure that our Swift Super 1600 will see the finish line. Getting to the finish line would mean scoring a point on my JWRC debut this season - and that would be a fantastic result for me and Suzuki Rallye Junior Team Germany."

Day 1:

The Suzuki Swift Super 1600 of Jaan Molder holds a strong second place in the Junior World Rally Championship classification at the end of day one of the Jordan Rally. Fellow Suzuki drivers Michal Kosciuszko - in the second Suzuki Sport Europe car - and Florian Niegel, who drives a Swift S1600 run by the Suzuki Rallye Junior Team Germany, were also running inside the points positions on the hot and dry gravel roads of the Middle East. Unfortunately, Kosciuszko retired from third place in SS7, with Niegel dropping out of eighth place on the same test.

Estonian Molder, however, maintained his pace throughout the day moving up from third to second place in stage six and remaining in the runners-up spot until the end of the day's final test. With more than two minutes in hand over his nearest rival, Molder admitted he was not taking any risks, preferring to drive within himself in search of a second consecutive second place - which would leave him in a strong position in the JWRC standings. He is just under a minute behind the JWRC leader Patrik Sandell after today's 115km of flat-out action.

His only problem through day one was sliding into a bank on the first stage.

News from Jaan Molder (Suzuki Swift n.32):
"I didn't lose much time when I hit the bank in the first stage - I just slid a little wide. The team changed the dampers at lunchtime service, putting some softer suspension on the car. The tyres we have for this event are a bit soft for the hot conditions. I'm happy we didn't have any problems today and we'll be pushing hard tomorrow so we don't lose time to Patrik."

News from Michal Kosciuszko (Suzuki Swift n.35):
"The soft tyres were struggling in these conditions - but it's the same for everybody, so we pressed on. Unfortunately, the engine stopped at the start of SS6 and wouldn't re-start, but I'm sure the team will find out what the problem is so we can start tomorrow and test for Sardinia - where we want to score some more points."

News from Florian Niegel (Suzuki Swift n.43):
"The morning was okay. We had a good run in the first couple of stages, but then the brakes began to fade in stages three and four. I was happy with the position, though and everything was working well. In SS8, I was too fast for a corner and we hit a stone with the left-rear wheel. We couldn't carry on. It has been great fun to compete against the best JWRC drivers in the world - and now we will look forward to the challenge of tomorrow."