The all-gravel Rally
Finland marks the fourth round of this year's
FIA Junior World Rally Championship, which
will see three Suzuki Swift Super 1600 cars
and one Suzuki Swift Sport Group N machine
do battle on the ultra-fast stages around
Jyvasykla. Suzuki Sport Europe will field
two of the S1600 cars for Estonian Jaan Molder
and Pole Michal Kosciuszko: both of whom have
won Junior Championship events at the wheel
of a Swift in the past. Suzuki Rallye Junior
Team Germany will enter a Group N Swift for
German debutant Florian Niegel, contesting
what is only his third-ever Junior World Rally
Championship event. Niegel will be back in
his regular Super 1600 car in time for his
native Rallye Deutschland in August. A new
driver to Suzuki in Finland is Kalle Pinomaki,
who will make his Swift Super 1600 debut on
his home event next weekend.
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Finland
is the ultimate test of bravery and commitment,
and as such it is the event that all the
Junior drivers desperately want to win.
The roads are extremely fast, thanks to
a surface of extremely compacted gravel,
and the stages are characterised by enormous
crests that can launch the cars several
metres into the air. Suzuki has made a
successful start to the seven-round Junior
World Rally Championship, with Kosciuszko
(the winner at the last event, in Sardinia)
in second place overall and Molder in
fifth place. Niegel is currently in 10th
position. |
News from Jaan Molder
(Suzuki Swift n.32):
"I feel quite confident for Rally Finland,
as the roads are not so different to the ones
I have rallies on at home in Estonia. I've done
the event twice, with a best result of fifth
in 2006, so I'm hopeful that we can improve
on that this year. The car feels very good on
these roads as the engine is very strong, so
I think that we can have a good rally if we
don't make any mistakes."
News from Michal Kosciuszko
(Suzuki Swift n.35):
"I like Rally Finland a lot and I'm feeling
confident at the moment after winning the last
Junior round in Sardinia. I also won the class
in Finland last year, so I believe that we are
well-prepared. We're in a good position with
the championship now, so the most important
thing is to have a consistent rally and make
sure we are there at the finish; hopefully with
some useful points on board."
News from Florian Niegel
(Suzuki Swift n.43):
"Everything is new for us this year, so
once more we come to a rally where we have a
lot to learn. In Finland, the job will be even
harder than normal as it is a very specialised
rally that takes some time to get to know. After
crashing on the last round in Sardinia, my priority
in Finland is to get safely to the end and make
sure that we learn as much as possible for the
future."
News from Nobuhiro 'Monster'
Tajima, Suzuki World Rally Team principal:
"The Junior World Rally Championship is
all about learning, and Finland is one of the
best classrooms. For Suzuki, it has always been
a very successful event, so I think that the
Swift is very well-suited to these fast stages
as it is easy to drive. Nonetheless, the drivers
will have to be very careful as it is so easy
to make a mistake in Finland and have an accident.
Success in the Junior World Rally Championship
always comes down to consistency - so I would
urge our drivers to remember that fact all the
time. I would like them to enjoy themselves
but to drive carefully at the same time." |
