The long-awaited career of the all-new Suzuki Swift Super 1600 is finally underway with the start of Rally Finland this evening, round five of the Junior World Rally Championship. P-G Andersson and Guy Wilks gave the new car its competitive debut on a short two-kilometre superspecial stage prior to the real action, which gets underway on Friday with the first of 20 gravel tests.

The Suzuki Swift Super 1600 makes its debut in Finland

Earlier the drivers and team presented the new car to the international media during a short launch held at the Rally Finland service park in Jyvaskyla. The new challenger has a tough act to follow, but Suzuki is targeting a win for the Swift on its first event.

While all eyes were on the new Swift, four Suzuki Ignis Super 1600 cars also took the start of Rally Finland's Junior World Championship event. Suzuki Sport Europe fields two cars for Kosti Katajamaki and Urmo Aava, while Pavel Valousek drives an Ignis run by Czech team JM Engineering. The final Ignis is driven by Martin Prokop and run by another Czech team, Jipocar.

The Ignis drivers were equally competitive during the short prelude to the proper action tomorrow: Urmo was fourth fastest, just ahead of Kosti who was fifth. Pavel was ninth, edging out Martin in tenth.

The superspecial was held at the Killeri trotting track close to rally HQ in Jyvaskyla. Drivers raced side-by-side over the circular gravel circuit, with thousands of fans getting the chance to watch the two new Suzuki Swifts compete against each other for the first time.

Finland is well-known as one of the fastest and most exciting rounds of the World Rally Championship, characterised by rollercoaster crests and flat-out gravel roads that are nonetheless as smooth as motorways. Because of its high speeds the rally is known as 'the Finnish Grand Prix' and it is estimated that a fifth of the country's population show up to watch the event! It is a rally that suits Suzuki extremely well, with the Ignis winning its class for the last two years.

P-G Andersson, the reigning Junior World Rally Champion who won in Finland last year, said: "This is a very exciting time for all of us. I really felt a sense of occasion as I drove into the first stage with our new Swift. Of course it is very difficult to conclude how a rally will turn out just from the superspecial, especially as we were going at an easy pace, but the early signs are extremely promising. Tomorrow we will be pushing to go flat-out, as I have a very good feeling with the roads here."

Guy Wilks, who also has a strong finishing record in Finland, reported: "The car has been fantastic in testing, but there is no substitute for real competition. Now the waiting is over and we can just get on with things. Finland is an event where you need complete confidence to get a good result, and the Swift gives you that confidence. There was no point going mad on the superspecial, but I can't wait to get properly started tomorrow."

Suzuki Sport Preisdent Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima commented: "This is a historic day for us at Suzuki, and we are very proud to see our Swifts start their first rally in such famous surroundings. I have complete confidence in our drivers and engineers to do a fantastic job here. If the car goes as nicely as it looks, we should have no problem!"

Kosti Katajamaki, backed by two-time World Champion Marcus Gronholm said: "I love Finland, as it is my home rally. I think home drivers still have a small advantage, although the rally is becoming more and more competitive. I feel optimistic about my chances of winning and Marcus has given me one useful piece of advice: go flat-out from the start! That's what I've tried to do and we are well-placed now."

Urmo Aava from Estonia reported: "This is the closest I get to a home rally, so I am feeling confident. I have quite a lot of experience of these roads, and even tackled the event in a World Rally Car once, so I have a good idea of what to expect. I'll be pushing hard as I have a good chance of getting some useful points here. Already we've got off to a good start."

Pavel Valousek from the Czech Republic commented: "The Ignis is very competitive in Finland: you just have to look back over the results for the last two years to see that this is the case. I think it is quite difficult for non-Finnish drivers to match the local experts, but I certainly have the car to get the job done."

Czech Martin Prokop starts only his fifth rally in a Suzuki Ignis and his target is just to gain experience. "Finland is probably the most demanding rally of the entire championship, as even the smallest mistake can lead to a big accident," he said. "I'll be aiming to steer clear of trouble and hopefully score some points."

The real action on the Rally Finland starts on Friday morning at 0851 (CET+1h), with the first of 20 more special stages. The finish takes place on Sunday at 1434 (CET+1h) back in Jyvaskyla.

Junior World Rally Championship classification at end of Super Special Stage, Rally of Finland:

1. Kris Meeke (Citroen C2) 1m30.7s
2. PG Andersson (Suzuki Swift) +01.0s
3. Daniel Sordo (Citroen C2) +01.4s
4. Urmo Aava (Suzuki Ignis) +01.6s
5. Kosti Katajamaki (Suzuki Ignis) +01.7s
6. Mirco Baldacci (Fiat Punto) +02.1s
7. Guy Wilks (Suzuki Swift) +02.3s
8. Luca Betti (Renault Clio) +03.7s
9. Pavel Valousek (Suzuki Ignis) +04.4s
10. Martin Prokop (Suzuki Ignis) +05.0s