We have to consider as well with
Suzuki the team will be a bit smaller and the investment so far is just at the beginning. The team and the SX4 WRC has to ‘grow up' and to improve. But it is still a good challenge because we have to build the team. We are starting from zero - everything has to be done. Suzuki is a very, very new competitor in this business.
Crash.net:
How have the rules changed since your time with Peugeot? Are these changes positive?
MN:
The rules are going in the right direction, because the changes have been done to save costs - the costs in terms of the car, the costs in terms of development and so on. There are quite a lot of things now, which are not allowed anymore. The cars are much more simple and basic. Furthermore well it is true you can still invest a lot of money there has been a big reduction, especially in parts which can be used in rallies. Compared to a few years ago there are a lot of limitations on the parts which can be used - like the engine which has to do two or three rallies. We are also limited in the number of body shells we can use during one year and also in the parts we can change during an event. Parts like the turbo charger, the gearbox, the suspension and it is more going in the direction of reliability. With these limitations it is reducing a lot of the costs, which is good for motorsport. Cost is the biggest problem for the manufacturer. Every time the costs increase some manufacturers have difficulty in keeping up in order to be competitive. So, all-in-all, the way it is going is in the right direction and in order to give a much better equilibrium between the different manufacturers. The manufacturers' don't need to invest such a big amount of money now as they did some years ago.
Crash.net:
What does Suzuki hope to gain from the outings in Corsica and GB?
MN:
It was good to start this first event because so far we hadn't done any rallies and it is difficult to know where you are and what the problems are. Of course this year for us it is more to test - it was kind of a ‘big test' session. We were not really looking for performance, even though it was good to see where we are. Also even though we had some problems - and for me the car was not performing as well as I was expecting - it was a good help. We had some problems that we hadn't seen during ‘normal' testing and this at least shows us where there are some problems. This will help us to improve the car.
Crash.net:
How does the Suzuki SX4 WRC compare in your opinion to the cars of your rivals, the
Citroen C4, the Ford Focus and the
Subaru Impreza?
MN:
The car performance wise is still behind. There is still a lot of work to do but this is quite normal for a new car and a new team. There is still a long way to go. But from the base of the car and knowing what can be done in the future it is a good start. We have to work quite hard though in order to step-by-step ‘grow up' and be competitive like our main rivals. This will not happen in a few rallies but the plan is within one or two years to reach this level.
Crash.net:
What advantages does the SX4 have and what disadvantages does it have in relation to the competition?
MN:
The car has some advantages because of its size. It is quite a small car with good dimensions and even if some dimensions, like the height, aren't so good for a competition car, it doesn't have a big effect in rallying. In general the base is good and basically the car is a good compromise to be a WRC machine. The disadvantages are what I say, that the car is quite high. But this is in general a tendency for all the cars now, the new evolutions. This is a bit of a disadvantage, especially in terms of aerodynamics. But on rallies this is a bit less important than on circuit racing. Overall I think the car is a good starting point. I don't see any reason why it cannot be a good car if everybody is working in order to do it.
Crash.net:
How much of an issue is the height of the SX4?
MN:
It won't have too much affect. It will only really affect things on the very high-speed rallies. However there are not a lot of these in the championship and the compromises with all the rest of the car are much better.
![Suzuki boss, Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima and Michel Nandan, Suzuki's technical manager [Pic credit: Suzuki World Rally Team]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/401712.jpg)
