The Rally Argentina, Suzuki’s second JWRC event of the year, got underway with two runs through the spectacular spectator superspecial at Cordoba Stadium on 27th evening. Competitors raced side-by-side on a specially-created track, which featured a jump and a bridge, watched by an estimated 43,000 spectators. After two stages, Guy leads the Junior World Championship classification while P-G is second. However, it was a close contest between them – with P-G and Guy setting identical times on SS2! The real action  starts at 0833 tomorrow (Friday) when the drivers will tackle the first of the famous gravel stages through the Argentinian landscape. Unusually for this time of year in Argentina the weather is expected to be warm, making the rally an even bigger challenge.

News from Guy:
Guy Wilks (1st in JWRC): “I think it’s going to be a very good event. I’m focussed on going flat-out to win and I think we got off to a successful start. The car’s feeling fantastic and I just can’t wait to get stuck into the real stages tomorrow. The superspecial is always a fun way to start the rally though: it’s nice to race side-by-side and put on a show for all the spectators, who are very enthusiastic here!”

News from P–G:
P-G Andersson (2nd in JWRC): “I enjoyed the superspecial a lot: there were loads of people there and a fantastic atmosphere. We had no problems at all with the car, but of course the real hard work starts tomorrow. What was funny was that officially I was leading the rally overall after stage two – that’s not a bad way to start! The superspecial stages were actually quite slippery: there were places where you had to be careful.”

News from “Monster” Tajima:
“We’ve got off to a solid start and had no problems with either car, which is exactly what we expected. This is our first time coming to Argentina, but already shown the machine’s performance and good team work. Tomorrow we’ve got varied stages ahead of us, which will be a big test for our car and drivers. I’m confident that we can do well, score points, and aim for the champion!”

Junior World Rally Championship classification after SS2, Rally Argentina

1 Guy Wilks (Suzuki Swift) 5m24.0s
2 P-G Andersson (Suzuki Swift) +3.3s
3 Patrick Sandell (Renault Clio) +4.8s