Suzuki number one driver
Toni Gardemeister believes that the inaugural WRC event in Jordan could be a good one for the Japanese manufacturer.
Gardemeister has only got to the finish with the SX4 WRC once so far this season, when he was seventh in Sweden, however while the reliability has undoubtedly been disappointing, on the up side the pace of the car has been very promising.
Speaking ahead of the fifth round in the World Rally Championship, Gardemeister added that the fact Jordan is a step into the unknown could work out nicely for himself - and
Suzuki.
Indeed he is hoping to turn this situation into a positive and while a small number of drivers did do the recce for the round before it joined the WRC, no one has any real experience of it.
"It's very hard for me to know what to expect," said Toni, who is a WRC veteran, having taken in just over 100 events.
"In fact, it's very strange to be setting off to compete somewhere and to have no idea what I will find there: I can't remember the last time I was in that situation!
"I think Jordan will be quite different from anywhere else though, and that can only be good for us as it makes everything more equal."
Pressed on how he might do, he implied a top-six might be on the cards, assuming the SX4 goes the distance. Even if that doesn't happen in Jordan though, he is convinced it will soon.
"With no problems, we have had the potential to finish in the top six on every rally so far I think.
"We have to keep working hard and wait for everything to come together. In time, I'm sure that it will," he continued.
Per-Gunnar Andersson meanwhile, who has also had reliability problems, has a similar outlook.
"It's going to be a bit of a mystery tour for us, but the same is true for everyone," he noted.
"I'm going to take the same approach as I have done on all the rallies this year: I'll push hard but nothing crazy and see where that puts us relative to everybody else. So far, our pace has been pretty good.
