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Gardemeister eyes points on debut with SX4 |
Toni Gardemeister will make his debut with Suzuki this weekend on the Rallye Monte Carlo and he has already set his sights on getting in the points.
Since being dropped by Ford at the end of 2004 Gardemeister has had to make do with contending selected events in the WRC, but now that he is back with a works team and is down to compete on all 15-rounds, he is eager to make the most of the opportunity.
Furthermore he regards the Monte as one of his favourites and he has competed on it nine times to date, five times finishing in the points - and ending up on the podium as recently as 2006.
"It's fantastic for me to be back in the World Championship with Suzuki, and if things go well for us in Monte Carlo I think we can come away with points," he noted. "The car is still new, so we're not going to be on the pace of the frontrunners yet, but the overall set-up and reliability is good.
"The SX4 has a very compact wheelbase so it changes direction quickly, which will be very useful on the fast and twisty roads of Monte Carlo."
Gardemeister also reckons that nature of the event, with varying weather, could be advantageous.
"This is always an unpredictable event, but I think that mixed conditions could actually work in our favour. I'm particularly looking forward to the Col de Turini stages on Sunday - these are unique stages and I've always had a very good feeling with them," he added.
