Catalunya - Suzuki Motor Sport - Leg 1Suzuki drivers Urmo Aava and P-G Andersson have enjoyed a titanic battle throughout the opening leg of the Catalunya Rally, the penultimate round of seven in this year's Junior Championship.
Between them, the Suzuki drivers claimed
first and second places on every one of the day's six stages, and they are now more than a minute clear of the third-placed competitor.
After the first loop of stages, P-G Andersson was in the lead before his team mate went in front over the next loop of stages. At the end of leg one, which was characterised by uncertain weather conditions in the afternoon, Urmo leads P-G by just 10 seconds. Both Suzuki Swifts encountered no mechanical problems throughout the day.
Urmo Aava:
"Today has been a very good day - where we won five out of the six stages - and I've really enjoyed the battle with P-G. During the last loop of stages there were many damp patches after it had rained, and I was forced to run intermediate tyres on the front wheels and slick tyres on the back. That made everything very lively, and I had a bit of a moment on the final stage that slowed me down slightly. I'm very motivated to try and win, so we will keep on pushing tomorrow as I am sure that P-G will attack - but I don't want to take too many risks."
P-G Andersson:
"I had the same tyre situation as Urmo on the final stages, with intermediates on the front and slicks on the rear. It wasn't actually raining when we went through, but there was a lot of spray and we had the windscreen wipers on throughout all of the final stage. Urmo has driven very well today, but it's still extremely close between us and I've got a little bit left in reserve. Tomorrow should be another very exciting battle: I'm looking forward to it!"
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima, Team Principal:
"Our drivers have dominated the action today, but this is now a very delicate situation for them. They are both fighting for the championship in tricky conditions, and any lapse in concentration could be costly. I wish them luck, but I also urge them to be cautious, as there is a long way to go and it would be very easy to make a mistake."
Junior Rally Championship classification after SS6:
1 Urmo Aava (Suzuki Swift S1600) 1h31m06.2s
2 P-G Andersson (Suzuki Swift S1600) +10.1s
3 Martin Prokop (Citroen C2 S1600) +1m14.9s
4 Kalle Pinomaki (Renault Clio R3) +1m47.6s
5 Josef Beres (Renault Clio S1600) +2m34.5s
6 Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen C2 S1600) +3m36.6s
7 Yeray Lemes (Citroen C2 S1600) +3m44.2s
8 Michal Kosciuszko (Suzuki Swift S1600) +4m44.0s
Suzuki Motor Sport
