Suzuki's
Toni Gardemeister and Per-Gunnar Andersson are refusing to be downbeat following the Rally of Turkey last weekend, even though both were sidelined by mechanical problems early on day two.
Reliability has been a real issue with the SX4 WRC this season and while the team notched up its first two-car finish in Greece two weeks ago, the Paris-based operation was back in the doldrums on the eighth round in the World Rally Championship, with radiator problems stopping Gardemeister and an electrical glitch taking out P-G.
Despite those issues though, which unfortunately occurred in the same stage on Saturday, Gardemeister insists that the team is making progress - and he is hopeful he can show that on his home event, the Rally Finland, following the summer break.
"There are positives to take away from this rally," he stated, despite dislocating his left shoulder in SS6 on day 1. "We have been quick, quicker than before with the gap regularly below one second per kilometre down on the leader.
"The next round of the championship takes us home to Finland and that's an event I'm really, really looking forward to.
"We will have a test and some new parts to come from the car. It's nice to know the SX4 WRC will be even faster when we get to my home."
Andersson shares Gardemeister optimism: "I was really looking forward to driving the SX4 WRC again on Saturday. It had been a really exciting day behind the wheel on day 1 and I wanted to show what we could do again," he continued.
"The time in the first stage was good, we were in the top 10 again. But then a couple of hundred metres off the start line in SS11 the car stopped. Yes, it's disappointing not to finish, but look at the times - we were setting top six times on day 1, which shows how far the car has come."
