News from Jaan Molder/Frederic Miclotte (Suzuki Swift n.32): "It's been a very enjoyable rally but this event is never easy. I'm sure we could have been comfortably in the points with a clean run though. I found it quite hard to build up enough confidence to really push hard on the stages, but I think that only comes with time. Towards the end of the event we were beginning to really understand what is needed to be quick here. I'd like to thank the Suzuki Sport Europe team for giving us a car that has been fantastic all year. I've really appreciated the Swift's strength and performance."

News from Michal Kosciuszko (PL) - Suzuki Swift n.35:
"It was a pity for me to end my final rally in this year's Junior Championship with an accident, but these things can happen if you are pushing hard! In any case, this is not what I will remember most about this year. Instead, I've enjoyed a season with some fantastic battles fighting against some very talented people. It's been a pleasure to drive the Swift Super 1600, which has shown speed and reliability throughout the season."

News from Florian Niegel (D) - Suzuki Swift n.43:
"It's been a really good rally and a great way for us to end the year, which has been all about learning for us. We've had no real problems throughout the event: we just concentrated on not making mistakes and using some of the experience we gained on the last two asphalt rallies in Germany and Spain. The car has been completely reliable all year and it is very easy to drive, which makes our learning process easier. In the end we found a very good set-up for this rally and gained plenty of useful knowledge for the future."

News from Pierre Marché (F) - Suzuki Swift n.60:
"I've really enjoyed this event, and I'm very happy to have scored points on my Junior World Rally Championship debut. With two long stages repeated today it was important to look after the tyres and luckily we managed to do that. I started the day with the idea of trying to catch the person in front of me and it all went according to plan. Apart from going straight on at a junction on SS14 we had no problems at all today. Now I'm very impatient to drive this car again: it's been a fantastic experience on some truly challenging roads."

Final result:
1 Martin Prokop 4:04:43.9 0.0
2 Sebastien Ogier 4:05:01.6 +17.7
3 Pierre Campana 4:05:37.2 +53.3
4 Pierre Marche 4:06:51.8 +2:07.9
5 Aaron Nikolai Burkart 4:07:21.7 +2:37.8
6 Patrick Sandell 4:08:08.2 +3:24.3
7 Florian Niegel 4:09:03.7 +4:19.8
11 Jaan Molder 4:20:08.3 +15:24.4

Day 2: Two Suzukis in the points on Corsican asphalt

Local man Pierre Marche, a wild-card JWRC entry in Corsica and the winner of the Suzuki Rally Cup 2007 in France, is driving the top Suzuki Swift at the end of the second day of the all-asphalt Rallye de France-Tour de Corse. Like all the other Suzuki Swifts, his car was entirely reliable today to return to parc ferme in a points-scoring sixth place.Marche,making his debut on the Junior World Rally Championship, was highly impressive throughout the day - missing out on setting the fastest stage time on SS12 by just one-tenth of a second.

He had a brief off on SS11 that cost him two places but still ends the day in a strong points-scoring position.

His colleagues driving for Suzuki Sport Europe were not so lucky. Michal Kosciuszko went off the road on the opening special stage of yesterday and is not able to play any further part in the rally. Jaan Molder was held back by electrical problems during leg one and was forced to stage an impressive fightback today, ending leg two 13th in the Junior classification.

The final day of the rally tomorrow - and of the 2008 Junior World Rally Championship - takes in two loops of two stages, with service back in the port of Ajaccio in between them.

News from Jaan Molder/Frederic Miclotte (Suzuki Swift n.32):
"We're completely over the electrical problems that we had yesterday, and our Swift is back to its usual top form. The biggest difficulty we had today was our pace notes: they are not as precise as they could be over these very demanding roads. As for the car, it was perfect. Although we did the Rally de Espana last week I am still lacking a lot of experience on asphalt and it is also my first time here in Corsica. However, I'm feeling a lot more confident with all the solid running we have put in today and I hope now that we can have a strong end to the rally and to the season tomorrow."

News from Florian Niegel/Andre Kachel (Suzuki Swift n.43):
"It's been another great day for us, and it's so encouraging to see that we are making progress all the time, even though today's roads were really quite different to the ones we used yesterday. They tended to be a lot more slippery, but it was a lot of fun. Our learning process has been helped by the strength of our Swift, which has been absolutely fantastic throughout the event. It's been one of our best rallies, even though we had a small off, and I am firmly focussed on finishing in the points tomorrow."

News from Pierre Marche/Julien Giroux (Suzuki Swift n.60):
"Today was a really good day for us and I am very happy with our times and the car. I concentrated on driving consistently enough in order to look after our tyres; I was maybe too aggressive yesterday. I've got a lot to learn but this has been an incredible experience so far and I am really looking forward to tackling the final four stages tomorrow. To be sixth is absolutely fantastic, and I plan to put some pressure on the fifth-placed man tomorrow to see if we can make any more progress."

Day 1: Tough day on the final tour for Suzuki's Junior aces

German driver Florian Niegel leads Suzuki's charge on the Junior World Rally Championship leaderboard after a gruelling opening leg of the Rally de France-Tour de Corse today. The six stages, two loops of three, ran through the mountain roads surrounding the event's Ajaccio base on the west coast of the French island. Niegel, who was discovered through Suzuki's own rally competition, turned in a fantastic demonstration of pace and consistency to hold sixth place on the overnight JWRC leaderboard. He enjoyed a trouble-free day in his Swift S1600. Niegel is 1.8 seconds off fifth and just over one minute off the lead.

French driver Pierre Marché is turning in a strong debut drive in his Suzuki Swift S1600, ending the day on the fringes of the point-scoring positions. Unfortunately for Marché, his efforts were hit by a brace of punctures through the warm and sunny afternoon stages. The opening day of this year's Rally de France-Tour de Corse has not been kind to Suzuki regular drivers Michal Kosciuszko and Jaan Molder - both of whom failed to complete the day.

Kosciuszko, who had been in the thick of the championship battle for much of the year, went off the road on the opening stage.

News from Jaan Molder (Suzuki Swift n.32):
"It's disappointing to retire from today. This morning I was really enjoying the roads, we were having a good time in the car - but the times were not so good on the leaderboard. I don't really understand why this was, but it's certain that this is not an easy rally to come to and make fast times straight away."

News from Michal Kosciuszko (Suzuki Swift n.35):
"It's a really disappointing way to start the event. I went off the road on the first stage."

News from Florian Niegel (Suzuki Swift n.43):
"What a great day! The car has been perfect for all six stages. It's a tough place to come here and drive for the first time; I am finding some places in the notes where I think that I could be a little quicker - maybe there is one or two seconds lost here and there. Otherwise, it's really good."

News from Pierre Marché (Suzuki Swift n.60):
"My tyres are very tired at the end of today! The car was running well this morning and I was enjoying the event, but then we had two punctures this afternoon. Not so good, but we will try again in the morning."