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2003 FIA Junior World Rally Championship
Round 1 -Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo (23-26 January)
Sunday 26 January 2003
SUZUKI CELEBRATES MONTE CARLO FINISH!
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| Urmo Aava collecting points in his first tarmac event |
Suzuki were today celebrating a well-deserved finish on the Monte
Carlo Rally -the most well-known and fiercely-respected event of
the Junior World Championship calendar.
Urmo Aava finished fifth on the mountain event, round one of
the Junior World Championship. The competition lasted three
days and covered 1390 kilometres, 415 of which were on special
stages.
Drivers were locked in a constant battle against fickle weather
conditions, which forced them to walk a thin line between commitment
and over-confidence.
Aava said: "I'm delighted to get to the finish of my very first
asphalt event. I never wanted to look at the times, but instead
I wanted to concentrate on learning the event and the car. It
was the right tactic, as I made a lot of progress on asphalt.
Not only did I finish, but I scored some points as well."
Sadly, his remaining two colleagues were not so lucky. Salvador
Canellas was lying 10th when a driveshaft broke on stage 12.
Ville-Pertti Teuronen found stage 13 particularly unlucky. He was
lying fifth when he went off against a rock, and damaged the
suspension too badly to continue.
Our teams in action
Suzuki Ignis Number 64, Ville-Pertti Teuronen (FIN)/Harri
Kaapro (FIN)
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Teuronen said: "It was very annoying to come so close to the end of
the rally but not actually make the finish. In that way it is
frustrating, but overall I cannot complain at all. Everything was
very new to me, and I managed to get a lot of time in the car, and
complete the majority of the event. I feel that I made a lot of
progress during the three days, and I found the car very nice to
drive. I didn't have any mechanical problems, but I'm sorry I made a
mistake. Sometimes, though, this is how you learn!" |
Suzuki Ignis Number 69, Salvador Canellas (E)/Xavier Amigo (E)
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Canellas said: "We were looking at a very good result before the
driveshaft broke. That is tough to accept, but it's one of those
things that can happen. The main thing is that the car is very
reliable. I grew in confidence with every day of the rally, and
towards the end I was able to push very hard. I'm looking forward to
the next round now in Turkey. I'm sure we'll be able to go very well
there, and use all the lessons we have learned in Monte Carlo." |
Suzuki Ignis Number 71, Urmo Aava (EE)/Kuldar Sikk (EE)
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Aava moved to fifth after the retirement of Canellas. He drove
through the last stage rapidly but cautiously, in order to ensure
his points-scoring position.
He said: "I'm very happy, but I feel sorry for my Suzuki-driving
colleagues who had a lot of bad luck. I had a lot to learn so I took
the event cautiously. I have to say that the car is fantastic -it
did not give me a moment of worry." |
Monster Sport Europe team manager Risto Laine was happy with the
performances of the Suzukis at the end of the three days. None of
the cars suffered from any mechanical problems, and they clearly
showed the potential to win the event. The Suzuki Ignis set more
fastest times -four-than any other car.
Laine said: "Daniel Carlsson's performance on the opening day
clearly showed that the Suzukis have what it takes to win rallies.
It's clear that the Ignis has made a lot of progress since last year
and that we are in a strong position. However, there are always
improvements to be made, and this rally has helped us identify some
of the areas where we can perform better still. The speed of the car
is gratifying, and the drivers have put in a lot of effort. It was
important for our two youngest drivers, Urmo and Ville-Pertti, to
gain experience, and the knowledge that they have gained from this
event is sure to help them in the future. We have been pleased and
surprised by the performance of the car and we look forward to the
next step."
The president of Suzuki Sport, Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, was also
pleased by the potential that the Suzuki Ignis displayed during the
rally, although he was disappointed that only one car made the
finish.
He said: "I am very happy for Urmo who clearly deserved fifth place.
But the other cars have had a lot of bad luck, which is something
that can always happen in motor sport.
Still, we have a lot to be pleased about. The car is capable of
winning stages and rallies. We have proved that already, and we hope
to prove it again at the next round, in Turkey."
Ryohei Matsumoto, President of Suzuki Works Techno, commented: "Now
we fully understand the direction in which to develop our cars for a
good result. Last year, we were sometimes lucky. But this season we
are very proud to show our true potential."
Today in the JWRC
Brice Tirabassi's Renault Clio has won the event from the Volkswagen
of Kosti Katajamaki and the Fiat of Marcos Ligato. Mixed conditions
on the Col de Turini meant that tyre choice was very difficult, and
most crews drove conservatively to safeguard their positions.
Suzuki versus rivals
SS11 Sospel Turini La Bollene 1 (32.58km)
Fastest JWRC: Tirabassi (Renault) 28m57.7s
Teuronen (6th fastest): 29m59.4s
Canellas (13th fastest): 31m03.8s
Aava (4th fastest): 29m42.1s
SS12 Lantosque Luceram 1 (19.52km)
Fastest JWRC: Katajamaki (Volkswagen) 15m48.7s
Teuronen (2nd fastest): 15m50.5s
Canellas (17th fastest): 21m42.4s
Aava (14th fastest): 17m38.4s
SS13 Sospel Turini La Bollene 2 (32.58km)
Fastest JWRC: Tirabassi (Renault): 28m01.1s
Teuronen: retired
Aava (3rd fastest): 28m43.1s
SS14 Lantosque Luceram 2 (19.52km)
Fastest JWRC: Baldacci (Fiat) 15m42.4s
Aava (6th fastest): 16m14.4s
Junior World Championship results at end of Monte Carlo Rally.
1 Brice Tirabassi (Renault) 5h12m36.1s
2 Kosti Katajamaki (Volkswagen) 5h14m37.8s
3 Marcos Ligato (Fiat) 5h17m52.8s
4 Alessandro Broccoli (Opel) 5h20m02.9s
5 Urmo Aava (Suzuki) 5h21m24.7s
6 Massimo Ceccato (Fiat) 5h21m36.3s
7 Sebalj (Renault) 5h24m00.0s
8 Mirco Baldacci (Fiat) 5h25m49.9s
The next round of the Junior World Championship takes place on the
Rally of Turkey, from February 26-March 2.
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