Suzuki expecting tough time at Rally de Espana

Tough rally ahead for Suzuki

Suzuki WRC head into Rally de Espana with only four asphalt rallies under their belts. The SX4 rally car is still developing and team director Shusuke Inagaki is expecting the high speeds and tough opposition in Spain to make it a difficult few days for the team.

"The priority will be to sustain the level of reliability we have recently shown and try out some new asphalt settings, which will be extremely useful when we move on to Corsica just one weekend later," said Inagaki.

"After Germany we came up with a few ideas as to how the car could be improved on asphalt. In Spain we will now have the chance to see if those ideas will work. It's a very big challenge but that is why we are here."

Suzuki plan to run the SX4 with a lower ride height and stiffer springs than in Germany but essentially with the same base set-up.

Suzuki driver P-G Andersson has good knowledge of the conditions and for once is more experienced than team-mate Toni Gardemeister. Although Gardemeister has competed in five Catalunyan rallies it's been three years and only one was held in the current area around Salou.

"I've not driven the Catalunya Rally since 2005, so I don't really know what to expect,” said Gardemeister.

"It's an event that I like, but it's not always liked me in the past! For some reason we've often had little problems on this rally that have prevented us from getting a good result.

"It won't be easy because we have many opponents, but if we have a good level of reliability I think that we can score points."

Andersson won his first J-WRC championship with a win in Spain and has competed around Salou twice.

"I still don't have a lot of experience on asphalt but I think we can have a good run in Spain," said Andersson.

"There are a number of things to look out for on this rally, in particular the way to cut the corners.

"If you cut the corners too deeply you can damage the car but if you do not cut them enough then your stage time will be slow.

"We've got some small improvements on the SX4 WRC for this event including some new differential settings, which should make it easier to drive."

quotes source: wrc.com