Suzuki preparations are under wayThe last testing sessions of the year 2007 have been completed by the Suzuki World Rally Team. The twisty test roads were located in the French Alps, about 100km west of the Mont Blanc, which is known as the highest peak in the European
Alps.
The chilly air of winter greeted the team members during the first day of testing on 18th December, with the thermometer standing at minus 10 degrees Celsius every morning. The grassy shoulders of the road were frosted, then snow replaced the frost as the altitude increased. Under a cloudy sky, the surface of the asphalt became icy in the morning and late evening, with fog covering the forest at times. Things were indeed dark and cold!
Two pairs of crews took turns driving the SX4 WRC on the winding lanes during the four days of the test: Toni Gardemeister was co-driven by Tomi Tuominen while P-G Andersson was navigated by Jonas Andersson. They are the starring actors who will drive the cars for the Suzuki team in the coming year.
Performing test runs in the gloomy woods high in the mountains was necessary in order to prepare for Rally Monte Carlo, the first round of the World Rally Championship 2008 which will be held in January.
There are only three weeks left before rally week, excluding the Christmas holidays, so the SX4 WRC trials had to be brought to completion during this test. In fact, the engineers found many hints to look at by running the car on roads and conditions similar to the upcoming actual event.
P-G Andersson drove the SX4 WRC for the first time on the 18th, the first day of testing. After finishing the run in dry conditions and getting a feeling for the car, Andersson reported on his impressions.
"I'm really thrilled with driving a World Rally car for the first time in my life," said the double Junior World Rally Championship titleholder.
"Before getting into the car, I was a little bit nervous," Andersson admitted. "But after starting it, it was truly easy to drive and I enjoyed driving so much. Moreover I have been relaxed in the car. I'm now confident that we will win a good position in the championship with the SX4 WRC in the near future."
Toni Gardemeister used the knowledge accumulated through his participation in 90 WRC events to evaluate the proceedings.
"We have worked together and watched how each other do their jobs. Then I concluded we, crews, Japanese engineers, other engineers and staff can work together with no problem," he explained, speaking of his new team environment.
Gardemeister already possessed some experience in driving the Suzuki car: "It's been a while since I drove it. This time I realized the potential of the SX4 WRC. I'm really interested in improving this car to the highest level of a World Rally car. Many ideas occur to me when I think about how I can develop it."
"That is so exciting that sometimes I forget to sleep! I'm looking forward to the debut at Monte Carlo," he commented with a confident smile.
Source Suzuki World Rally Team
