2004 FIA Junior World Rally Championship
Round 7 – Rally Catalunya (28 October-31 October)
Thursday 28 October 2004 - Start

SUZUKI DRIVERS READY FOR SPANISH ASPHALT SHOWDOWN

The four Monster Sport Europe Suzuki drivers have all been encouraged by a successful asphalt test before the start of Spain's Catalunya Rally, which will decide the outcome of the Junior World Rally Championship.

Championship leader Guy Wilks ready for his title fight in Spain

Three Suzuki drivers come into the series with a chance of lifting the title. Guy Wilks is the current championship leader, three points ahead of his colleague P-G Andersson. Kosti Katajamaki, seven points off the championship lead and who is tied for third with Renault driver Nicolas Bernardi., also has an outside chance of the title. Mirco Baldacci has led most of the rallies this year, but bad luck has meant that he is no longer a championship contender – although he will be trying his hardest to end the season on a high with victory in Spain.

The drivers tested their cars near Espinelves earlier this week, in order to refine settings and fine-tune their preparations for the most crucial round of the Junior World Championship. They also completed a short shakedown test this afternoon to confirm the asphalt set-up. All the drivers are happy with their cars and eagerly looking forward to the rally start on Friday morning. The Catalunya Rally is an all-asphalt event, featuring wide and flowing stages with some slower and more technical sections. The weather is often a lottery, particularly on the stages run at high altitude in the mountains. Central service takes place in the town of Vic.

Championship leader Guy Wilks said, "Although there's a bit of pressure, I'm feeling very relaxed about the whole thing. The test was quite useful, and we changed a couple of small things on the car. I enjoy driving on asphalt and was able to set some good times in Spain last year, so I need to do the same again. However, the plan is to try and be following the pace rather than setting it, so this will have to be quite a tactical rally for us."

P-G Andersson, who has won three JWRC rallies this year, said:"I'm going to need a bit of luck here to win the title, because I don't feel so confident on asphalt. The test was good for me as I was able to get about 70 kilometres more of experience and the car feels good. I'm sure there will be many other drivers who are quicker than me, but we are going to push hard and see what we can do."

Kosti Katajamaki, backed by two-time World Champion Marcus Gronholm, said: "At least the tactics for us are easy here – we have to go flat-out! Asphalt is not my favourite surface, but the test allowed us to make some changes to the car and increase my confidence. The car now is better than it has ever been."

Mirco Baldacci plans to challenge for victory from the start. "We've got nothing to lose," he said. "On the test we altered some suspension settings and I am sure we can be quick. The biggest difficulty here will be the weather – if it rains, as is expected at some point, the stages become very slippery. But maybe that can help us: we will see."

Risto Laine, team manager of Monster Sport Europe, said: "It's difficult to make any predictions. We have to be realistic: this is not just any other rally and there is a lot at stake. Because of that, we will have to be thinking very tactically for a lot of the time. But as far as our preparations go, I think we are looking in good shape."

Urmo Aava will line up as usual alongside the regular squad in his 2003-specification Ignis. The Estonian said: "The car felt very good at the shakedown. It's the last rally of the season so we can just go for it. With so many question marks, I think we have the chance of coming away with a good result."

Jari-Matti Latvala is also registered for JWRC points, and he starts the Rally Catalunya in a 2004-specification Ignis run by Czech team JM Engineering. The Finn reported: "I'm beginning to get a good feeling with the car, but this is my first time on asphalt in a Suzuki. My plan is to work up to speed gradually and hopefully finish near the top five."

The rally gets underway on Friday morning at 0700 with the first of 20 special stages, totalling 384 competitive kilometres.

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