Preview Rallye de France - Tour de Corse:
 

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.

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.

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."