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Sanremo, 22 September 2002

SUZUKI DELIGHTED BY STRONG SHOWING IN ITALY >>PHOTO
>>RESULT
SCHELLE / GEILHAUSEN
SCHELLE / GEILHAUSEN
SCHELLE / GEILHAUSEN

Suzuki Team Germany driver Niki Schelle has come tantalisingly close to a Junior World Championship points finish at the end of the Sanremo Rallye. The German finished seventh, and was delighted by the superlative performance of his Ignis throughout the event. Only a strong contingent of local drivers prevented him from finishing even further up the order.
 
The top three were all Italian asphalt experts, with extensive experience of the roads used on the rally. Schelle, by contrast, had no experience of Sanremo, but was delighted by a stunning performance from both him and his car.
"Things have gone even better than I dared to hope," said Schelle, co-driven by Tanja Geilhausen. "I cannot believe that the car has reached this level of achievement in what is only its first year. It feels powerful, easy to drive, and is clearly capable of beating much more established opposition."
 
Schelle's car was impeccably reliable during the last leg of the Sanremo Rallye, which saw crews cover 88 kilometres over four stages. The route consisted of two runs over two mountainous asphalt stages. In the afternoon, drivers had to be careful of slippery gravel on the road, caused by cars cutting the corners on previous runs through the stage.
"That was just one of the dangers we always had to look out for," explained Schelle. "Sanremo is a very difficult rally, and before starting it I felt quite nervous. I had never been on these roads before, and I had absolutely no idea what our level of performance would be like. However, the roads turned out to be extremely enjoyable, and the car was also very easy to drive. It was a pleasure to compete on this rally, and an honour to bring Suzuki another result they can be proud of."
Schelle started the day keeping a close eye on Roger Feghali's Ford Puma, who was behind him in eighth. But Feghali soon realised he could not consistently match Schelle's pace, and the duo held station until the end.
 
SCHELLE / GEILHAUSEN
Suzuki Team Finland's Juha Kangas finished 14th on the event. The young Finn - inexperienced on asphalt - had been held up by brake problems over the opening leg, and concentrated on accumulating as much sealed-surface experience as possible. "It was not an easy rally," said Kangas. "But the main thing is that I learnt a lot about the car, and about the style of asphalt driving. I was able to try a few different things, and the knowledge that I have gained will be very useful for the future. One thing is clear: the Suzuki Ignis has a lot of potential, and I am sure that we will be capable of springing some surprises."
 
The third Suzuki Ignis, piloted by up-and-coming Japanese driver Kazuhiko Niwa, was unable to make the finish following an accident on the second leg. But Niwa too learnt a lot about the car and the rally, and he is looking forward to getting behind the wheel again. Niwa was also able to get used to hearing pace notes in English for the first time, having previously been used to Japanese notes.
"I enjoyed the rally, but was very sorry not to finish," said Niwa. "Still, at least I was able to drive through most of the stages and increase my experience."

 
Suzuki Sport boss Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima was also impressed by the performance of the car and its drivers. "This was a very productive and encouraging event for Suzuki," he said. "Niki drove an excellent rally. It was a heroic performance! I think the only reason why he did not finish on the podium was because there were so many Italian local drivers who knew the roads very well and have been very strong rivals."
 
The next and final round of the Junior World Championship takes place on the Rally Great Britain, in November. From the hot and twisty Italian asphalt, crews will have to switch to the fast but muddy forests of Britain.
 
Today in the JWRC:
 
After the ferocity of the battle between the top three Italian drivers, everybody expected at least one of them to fall off at some point. But all three continued their titanic scrap until the end. This has not been unusual on the JWRC, which is always a tough battle between many different makes of car. Andrea Dallavilla eventually won in his Citroen Saxo, from Giandomenico Basso and Daniel Sola. Gwyndaf Evans drove his MG for the first time to the finish line on a 12th place, and McShea's Opel Corsa finished at a 11th place.
 
Suzuki versus rivals:
 
SS15 Pantasina 1 (25.03km)
Fastest JWRC: Giandomenico Basso (Fiat Punto) 15m54.2s
Schelle (5th fastest): 16m16.5s
Kangas (14th fastest) 16m55.9s
SS16 Mendatica 1 (18.98km)
Fastest JWRC: Andrea Dallavilla (Citroen Saxo) 12m57.6s
Schelle (7th fastest): 13m22.6s
Kangas (13th fastest): 13m48.5s
 
SS17 Pantasina 2 (25.03km)
Fastest JWRC: Giandomenico Basso (Fiat Punto) 15m50.1s
Schelle (9th fastest): 16m15.5s
Kangas (15th fastest) 16m34.3s
 
SS18 Mendatica 2 (18.98km)
Fastest JWRC: Daniel Sola (Citroen Saxo) 12m52.5s
Schelle (8th fastest): 13m17.2s
Kangas (13th fastest): 13m33.7s
 
Final Junior World Championship results Sanremo Rallye:
 
1. Andrea Dallavilla (Citroen Saxo) 4h28m26.4s
2. Giandomenico Basso (Fiat Punto) 4h28m36.0
3. Daniel Sola (Citroen Saxo) 4h28m56.1
4. Nicola Caldani (Fiat Punto) 4h28m56.5
5. Gianluigi Galli (Fiat Punto) 4h30m34.6
6. Francois Duval (Ford Puma) 4h31m29.4
7. Niki Schelle (Suzuki Ignis) 4h32m46.1
14. Juha Kangas (Suzuki Ignis) 4h43m48.8

16 cars at the finish
Picture : Niki Schelle heading for a good result in Sanremo Rallye
 
 



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