Suzuki Juniors face
the final fight
The Junior World Rally
Championship, for front-wheel drive 1600cc
cars, hosts its final round this year on the
Rally de France-Tour de Corse: the place where
Suzuki driver P-G Andersson was crowned Junior
World Rally Champion for the second time last
year. Andersson has now moved up to the top
class of rallying with Suzuki, which indicates
how the series can be considered as a true
springboard for future talent. This year,
Suzuki Sport Europe drivers Michal Kosciuszko
and Jaan Molder represent the marque on the
Junior series with the Swift Super 1600, together
with Suzuki Rallye Junior Team Germany driver
Florian Niegel. All three of them will be
aiming to make the most of their last chance
to impress this year. Additionally, Suzuki
France will be entering an additional Swift
Super 1600 for local driver Pierre Marche,
co-driven by Julien Giroux. Marche, the winner
of Suzuki's one-make rally series in France,
is a 'wild card' entry on the JWRC in Corsica
and he too gets a chance to prove himself
on the world stage thanks to Suzuki.
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Corsica is an event that has always suited
the agile Super 1600 cars, because of
its notoriously twisty roads and tight
corners. All the regular Suzuki drivers
are well up to speed on asphalt thanks
to having competed on the Catalunya Rally
in Spain only the weekend before. Corsica
is somewhat different in character, as
the average speeds tend to be lower and
there are more tight corners. The surfaces
are also bumpier, meaning that suspension
set-up will be crucial.
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As with all asphalt rallies
a key element of being quick comes from knowing
how to cut the corners in the most effective
way. But it is important not to cut these corners
too deeply, as it can be easy to pick up a puncture
and lose lots of time.
News from Jaan Molder/Frederic Miclotte (Suzuki
Swift n.32):
"The Catalunya Rally showed me that I was
definitely lacking asphalt experience, as it
was my first sealed-surface event of the season.
Luckily I was able to get in some more practice
in Spain and now I feel a bit more confident
on this tricky surface. As always in the Junior
World Rally Championship, Corsica will be all
about steering clear of mistakes and making
sure that we get a decent finish. However, it's
a completely new rally to me, so we will just
have to play it carefully and see what happens."
News from Michal Kosciuszko/Maciek Szczepaniak
(Suzuki Swift n.35):
"I've driven in Corsica one time before,
which is useful as it is definitely the sort
of event where a bit of previous experience
is useful. The roads are quite narrow so you
have to know where exactly to place the car.
On the whole I prefer roads that are more open
than the ones in Corsica but you just have to
adapt your driving style to the conditions.
Catalunya was a disappointing event for me championship-wise,
so I hope to make up for that in Corsica."
News from Florian Niegel/Andre Kachel (Suzuki
Swift n.43):
"I have been gradually building up experience
on asphalt in Germany and Spain, so this will
be my third tarmac rally of the year. I know
that I still have a lot to learn though. Corsica
has a big reputation that goes before it, so
I am certainly going to treat this rally with
a lot of respect. It will be important for me
to conclude my first season in the Junior World
Rally Championship with a strong finish, so
if I can bring the car back in one piece, maybe
with some points as well, then I will be very
happy."
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