Suzuki driver P-G Andersson has finished first in a highly-competitive class A6 on the all-gravel Rally of Turkey, putting him 19th overall. Guy Wilks finished the rally, but was hit by problems that prevented him from posting a representative result.

PG and his Suzuki Ignis performing very strong in Turkey

Turkey is the seventh rally of the World Championship, and part of Suzuki's rally programme outside of the Junior World Rally Championship designed to build up experience and knowledge for the future.

The weather conditions in Turkey were extremely mixed, with intermittent rain making the stages extremely tough and slippery. Nonetheless, when the sun came out conditions warmed up to over 30 degrees centigrade, making the event a real trial for drivers, cars and tyres. The stages varied in surface, speeds and levels of grip, giving drivers a real taste of the unexpected. A strong Super 1600 field started the Rally of Turkey to provide Suzuki with some stiff opposition. Key rivals included former Suzuki driver Mirco Baldacci in a Fiat Palio and reigning British Champion David Higgins in an Opel Corsa.

However, Suzuki's main objective in Turkey was to treat it as a test session for the Acropolis Rally in June, the next round of the Junior World Rally Championship that is Suzuki's main focus this year. The Acropolis is run in broadly similar conditions, although average speeds are higher and the route is more flowing.

P-G took the class lead on the opening stage and held it to the end of the rally, although he lost a bit of time with a puncture on SS5. On the same stage, Guy hit dramas. Having started the rally on P-G's pace, he was separated from his team mate by mere seconds when he hit a rock which damaged a steering arm. He limped through the stage and attempted to fix the damage, but by the time he returned to service he was over the time limit.

Guy re-started the second day under the Super Rally system (which allows drivers to have their cars recovered to service and re-start the following leg with a penalty of five minutes for every stage missed) but he was no luckier. He suffered an extremely rare bearing failure in the gearbox on SS10, which once again left him stranded. The Englishman showed what he was capable of by setting a storming time through the penultimate stage of the rally on the final day: second-fastest of the Group N cars and 15th fastest overall!

In the meantime, P-G was able to cruise to victory. He won the class by seven minutes to his nearest rival, beating all but four of the more powerful Group N cars - which also benefit from four-wheel drive and turbochargers.

The Swede said: "The last day was quite nerve-wracking actually. I knew we were in a good position so we could only lose our advantage rather than gain anything. I just concentrated on listening to the notes and getting to the finish. The good thing about this rally was that there was very little to report. The car worked perfectly and we had no problems. I think now that we are very well-prepared for Greece and I cannot wait to get stuck in!"

Guy, currently second along with P-G in the Junior World Rally Championship points standings, said: "Out of 18 stages on this rally we only did eight, which I think tells the story of the event! We were just incredibly unlucky. The bent steering arm was just one of those freak things, while the gearbox bearing failure was extremely rare. It's obviously very frustrating and difficult to cope with when it happens. Having said that, I'm not too bothered. I know we have the speed and the car to do the business on the next Junior World Rally Championship round in Greece - which is when it really counts."

Team manager Risto Laine reported: "I've obviously got mixed emotions: I'm very happy for P-G - who once again drove an excellent rally - but I feel so sorry for Guy who had no luck at all. Our main goal in coming to Turkey was to test for Greece, and I'm pleased that we've managed to prove beyond doubt the speed of our Ignis against very tough opposition. Outside of the Junior World Rally Championship, this is the toughest test we have faced. The fact that P-G won by such a big margin says it all. I'm feeling confident for Greece now, but it is always a mistake to be over-confident."

The next round of the Junior World Rally Championship, the Acropolis Rally, takes place from June 24-26.