"I am now looking forward to driving the car in the stages that we know well. I believe that the Pirelli tyres are very strong this year, but they will be the key factor in this year's event."
Suzuki WRT:
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Toni Gardemeister, car #11 and Per-Gunnar Andersson, car #12]
Suzuki still after a two-car finish.
Suzuki boss Nobuhiro Tajima has reiterated that he wants to see his team try and get both cars to the finish on the Acropolis Rally, something the outfit has struggled so far to do.
While reliability has undeniably been an issue with the SX4 WRC this season and it has only finished on four out of twelve attempts, the last event in Sardinia was encouraging and Per-Gunnar Andersson had a faultless run to finish ninth and pick up the final manufacturers' point.
Tajima now wants to see further progress and while the Greek event is renowned as a car killer and has a fearsome reputation, modifications have been made to the SX4 WRC to enable it to cope with the rough conditions, including increasing the under-floor protection and making improvements to the cooling system, as ambient temperatures are expected to be high.
"When we embarked upon our debut season this year, we knew from the beginning that it would be very tough - and this has been amply proved," said Tajima.
"But it is only by confronting the most challenging conditions that we will make progress. For many years the Acropolis Rally has been considered to be one of the most demanding events on the calendar, so we are eagerly awaiting this next challenge near Athens.
"Our objective remains to get both cars into the points, although this is a big task. In order to help us achieve this, our drivers will need to remember that the most important thing is always to get to the finish, by continuing the mature and measured approach they have adopted all year."
Toni Gardemeister and Per-Gunnar Andersson meanwhile have both confirmed that they will tackle the seventh round of the World Rally Championship in Athens with caution.
