Podium
finish for Suzuki Swift Super 1600 in PolandSuzuki
Swift driver Michal Kosciuszko was all set
for victory on his home event on its first
appearance on the World Rally Championship
this afternoon. However, Poland’s Junior
World Rally Championship hero hit a rock with
just one forest stage to go on Rally Poland,
when he was fighting for the lead. This bounced
him into a tree, and the resulting radiator
damage forced him into a heart-breaking retirement.
Nonetheless,
Kosciuszko maintains his lead of the Junior
World Rally Championship. Poland also resulted
in a third place finish in the Juniors for
Yoann Bonato, equalling his best-ever JWRC
result, and fifth place for Italian driver
Simone Bertolotti.
Right
from the start, Kosciuszko was on the pace
– but he wisely concentrated on his
championship prospects rather than getting
drawn into a battle during the early stages.
He ended the opening day second in the Junior
standings, less than half a minute behind
the leader. Bonato was fourth, despite a small
off on SS4, and Bertolotti was seventh.
A gearbox change overnight gave Kosciuszko
more torque on the fast and gravelly stages,
allowing him to reel in his rival. It was
a hectic battle though, and by the end of
the day the Suzuki driver was just 0.8 seconds
off the lead, after 13 flat-out stages! Bonato
and Bertolotti also had a good day to climb
to fourth and fifth respectively.
 |
On the final day, which was once more
held in humid conditions, there was
another epic fight for the lead.
When the cars came into midday service
before the last three stages, Kosciuszko
had edged into the lead by just 0.1
seconds! Unfortunately, this came to
nothing when Kosciuszko hit a rock on
SS16 that led to his premature retirement.
A strong run from Bonato nonetheless
ensured a podium finish for Suzuki in
Poland, with Bertolotti ending up fifth. |
About the
Rally Poland:
The Rally Poland was brand new to the World
Rally Championship calendar this year, based
in the holiday resort of Mikolajki to the north
of Warsaw. The all-gravel stages are fast and
flowing, with high average speeds and large
crowds of enthusiastic spectators. The surfaces
are soft and sandy, providing a good level of
grip, but weather conditions can be uncertain.
Suzuki entries on Rally Poland:
A total of three Suzuki Swift Super 1600 drivers
took part in the Rally Poland, round six of
the Junior World Rally Championship: Michal
Kosciuszko (n.32), Simone Bertolotti (n.33)
and Yoann Bonato (n.35). Throughout the tough
18-stage event, which totalled 352 competitive
kilometres, none of the Suzukis encountered
any mechanical problems, reinforcing the marque’s
reputation for ease of driving and reliability.
News
from Yoann Bonato (F): “Once
again our Suzuki Swift Super 1600 showed perfect
reliability, which is very encouraging. We damaged
the car slightly on SS4 when we hit a straw
bale, and then we also got an unexpected shower
of cold water when we went through a water splash
a bit too quickly on SS9. We were able to climb
to fourth place by the end of day one, so it
was mostly a question of looking after our place
until the finish. After Michal’s accident
we ended up on the podium, which is always a
good result even if we did not like to obtain
it in that way.”
News from
Simone Bertolotti (I):
“The car was good, but I struggled
to find the right feeling with the stages
and I do not think that we had the set-up
that we needed as I was expecting the
weather to be more wet and rough.
I got a bit more confidence as the rally
went on though, and I’m very happy
to score some points at the finish.
|
|
News
from Michal Kosciuszko (PL): Encountered
no problems on day one, but benefitted from
set-up changes on day two to make his car stiffer
and lower. He also replaced the gearbox to improve
the torque. Throughout the rally he was involved
in a huge battle with Renault Clio R3 driver
Kevin Abbring, eventually being forced into
retirement after hitting a rock with just two
stages to go.
“I’m
very disappointed that my rally ended this way.
There was no way I could avoid hitting the rock.
Of course I really wanted to win my home event
but the most important thing was always the
championship. I had some experience of the stages
but not much, as I live 600 kilometres away.
During the second day we were able to improve
our pace and from there it was a huge battle
to the end. Unfortunately we could not seal
the result we wanted after we went off on SS16,
but that is rallying and that is life. I hope
at least that all the Polish fans enjoyed the
show that we were able to put on. Now I have
to try and bounce back on the next round in
Finland.”
2009 JWRC Rd.6 : Rally Poland, final
results
1. K. ABBRING Renault Clio R3 3:35:05.2 0.0
2. M. PROKOP Citroen C2 Super 1600 3:36:15.4
+1:10.2
3. Y. BONATO Suzuki Swift Super 1600 3:40:39.7
+5:34.5
4. H. WEIJS Jr. Citroen C2 Super 1600 3:45:17.2
+10:12.0
5. S. BERTOLOTTI Suzuki Swift Super 1600 3:51:50.3
+16:45.1
6. R. TYPA Citroen C2 Super 1600 3:56:32.3 +21:27.1
7. L. GRIOTTI Renault Clio R3 4:00:53.6 +25:48.4
|
