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Delphi, 10 June 2002 Suzuki sizzles in Greek sunshine >>PHOTO The three privateer Suzuki Ignis Junior World Championship teams had their first taste of rough Greek terrain last Sunday, at a shakedown test close to the Acropolis Rally headquarters in Itea. Suzuki has tested on rough gravel for six days already, but not in Greece only in France. Now that they have set foot on Greek soil, their task is to check that all their preparation work was accurate for the unique Acropolis conditions. The Acropolis Rally, the third round of the Junior World Championship, is characterised by intense heat and rocky surfaces. The temperatures inside the cockpit can climb to over 60 degrees, and the rocks can be sharp enough to punch a hole through the car's floor. In conditions as tricky as this, the three teams limited their shakedown running in order to conserve the car for the rally itself. The priority was to be sure that their set-up was correct. The 3.2 kilometre shakedown stage in Greece was typical of the tracks the drivers will face during the rally. After a relatively smooth start the road climbed to become very rough and rocky, testing the suspension to the maximum. The handling, damping, and shock absorbers also have to cope with their hardest work of the year. The teams started testing in relatively cool temperatures at 09.00 but by the time the confirmation runs were finished at 15.00, temperatures had soared to 33 degrees. This is why reliability and strength is so crucial in Greece. The Super 1600 Suzuki Ignis rally car, still in its first year of competition, coped brilliantly with the extreme conditions. But it was not just a test of the cars - it was a test of the drivers too. All the crews have been working hard on their physical fitness in readiness for coping with these temperatures 12 hours a day. Kazuhiro Niwa Juha Kangas Niki Schelle Suzuki Team Ignis Japan's Kazuhiro Niwa said: "Wow! These are very special stages and absolutely amazing surfaces. The car's set-up is very good and it is riding the rocks very smoothly. I'm going to try very hard to finish the rally to gain more experience of these interesting roads." Suzuki Team Ignis Finland driver Juha Kangas is the only person in the three teams to have driven on the Acropolis Rally before - in 1999 with a Group N Subaru. He said: "I'm satisfied with our preparations so far and really looking forward to the rally. Having done it before, I know just how tough it will be, but every driver loves a challenge." Niki Schelle is the driver for Suzuki Team Ignis Germany and he too was happy with the handling of the car and all the pre-event testing. "I can't wait to get going!" he said. The Acropolis Rally starts at 2000 on Thursday night from the Zappion Palace in Athens. "We are happy with the preparation we accomplished for the Acropolis Rally, but we are well aware that this rally is one of the toughest of the year" concluded Suzuki Sport President "Monster" Tajima.

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