San Remo September 16 2002
SUZUKI REVS UP FOR ITALIAN
ASSAULT
The three privateer Suzuki Ignis teams are hopeful of another
good result heading into the penultimate round of the Junior World
Rally Championship, the Sanremo Rallye this weekend.
The pace of the Ignis stunned its rivals after taking a debut podium
and fastest stage time on the previous round, the Rallye Deutschland.
But now the three cars - run by teams from Japan, Germany and Finland
- face another tough challenge on the tight and twisty mountain roads
above the Italian coastal town of Sanremo.
The three regular Suzuki drivers - Germany's Niki Schelle, Finland's
Juha Kangas, and Japan's Kazuhiko Niwa - emerged delighted from a
one-day pre-event test last weekend.
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The test took place on the Sunday before the rally, using mountain
roads 10 kilometres north of Imperia (where the Sanremo Rallye service
park is based). All three drivers completed several runs over a 2.5
kilometre stage, which was typical of the varying conditions they
will face on the rally.
The first part of the test stage was fast and smooth, the second
part much bumpier. This allowed the drivers to fully assess a variety
of suspension set-ups that could be useful on the rally. Once more
the three Suzukis were totally reliable during the test, permitting
the drivers to maximise their running time.
Suzuki team Finland driver Juha Kangas explained: "This test
was incredibly useful for me, as I have no real experience of Italian
asphalt. But it's a surface I like a lot - fast and demanding. I think
I will find this rally a bit more enjoyable than Deutschland, as the
conditions are more consistent. In Deutschland the roads were changing
all the time whereas Sanremo is much more of a classic asphalt rally.
The car feels good, and I'll be trying hard."
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One driver who made the most of Rallye Deutschland was Niki Schelle,
who chalked up Suzuki's historic first podium and fastest time on
his home event. The German has never competed in Sanremo before, but
has some experience of Italian asphalt from national events that he
has taken part in.
"It's good fun," said Schelle. "Germany proved just
what our Ignis is capable of, and I'll be looking to obtain the best
possible result once more. We found a good set-up during the test,
so we'll be able to push hard if the conditions are right."
Schelle will once more be co-driven by Tanja Geilhausen, who made
her debut alongside him at the Rallye Deutschland. Schelle's regular
co-driver, Gerhard Weiss, has been drafted in to navigate for Niwa.
This will make Sanremo an even steeper learning curve for Niwa, but
it is a challenge he is looking forward to. Niwa has never been to
Sanremo before, and is used to hearing his pace-notes in Japanese
rather than in English!
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"I'm learning more all the time," said Niwa. "I
had more useful asphalt mileage on the test and I was able to get
used to working with Gerhard. It will not be an easy event, but I'm
sure Gerhard's experience will be able to help me a lot. I'm getting
more and more confident with the car and the test that we have just
completed confirms that."
The Sanremo Rallye is most similar in character to the Tour of Corsica,
although it also has elements in common with Catalunya. Sanremo is
held on narrow mountain roads, typified by sharp hairpin bends and
steep drops.
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Adding an extra element of surprise will be the weather. Conditions
in Sanremo are unpredictable at best, with fog and rain affecting
the final day last year. This year, preliminary reports indicate that
more rain is expected over the weekend.
Suzuki Team Finland manager Risto Laine commented: "Conditions
on our test were ideal - about 24 degrees celsius - but this might
not turn out to be typical for the rally. With this in mind, we also
tested soft suspension set-ups which we will use to obtain more traction
and grip in case it rains."
The three Suzukis will appear in broadly the same specification that
they put to good use on the Rallye Deutschland, although there have
been further improvements to the engine management. The cars will
all use the short ratio gearbox tried in Germany on the first day.
This allows the car to accelerate faster - crucial on the many uphill
hairpins that characterise the Sanremo Rallye.
The event starts on Thursday September 19, at 19h00 (CET) from
Sanremo town centre. Over the course of three days, the cars will
complete 18 stages and 385 competitive kilometres. The finish takes
place back in Sanremo on Sunday September 22 at 1500.
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