Suzuki har etter årets suksess tenkt å ta et steg videre oppover. Neste år vil Suzuki kjøre alle WRC-rundene med både Ignis S1600 og senere Swift S1600
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SUZUKI READY FOR THE NEXT STEP
After a phenomenally successful 2004 season, Suzuki is ready to take the next step forward with a full campaign of 16 World Championship rallies in 2005, following an announcement from Suzuki Motor Corporation Chairman Osamu Suzuki and President Hiroshi Tsuda at a press conference at Suzuki"s home base in Hamamatsu today. Mister Suzuki also handed over the "Suzuki Award 2004" to P-G Andersson for his fantastic results this year.
Having achieved the primary objective of winning the Junior World Rally Championship, the logical progression for Suzuki is to compete on all 16 rallies next season with the Ignis Super 1600 (and later with the Swift Super 1600). Monster Sport Europe, the British-based team which ran P-G Andersson to the Junior world title this year, will field a two-car squad of Andersson and Guy Wilks on every World Championship rally in 2005. The drivers will compete on the seven rounds of the Junior World Championship and will choose Corsica as the event on which they are ineligible to score points, as per next year"s regulations. In addition to this they will drive on the nine remaining rounds of the World Championship in the A6 category, using cars conforming to Junior World Championship regulations.
Both drivers will start the season in the tried and trusted 5-door Ignis that was used to win the 2004 Junior World Rally Championship. In the second half of 2005, the Ignis will be substituted for the all-new Suzuki Swift Super 1600 revealed at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Suzuki will use their full 2005 World Rally Championship programme in order to gain more experience of the events and evaluate the possibility of participation at the highest level. The campaign is also designed to promote global awareness of the Suzuki brand and to underline the image of Suzuki cars as being sporty as well as fun and easy to drive.
Reigning Junior World Rally Champion P-G Andersson will be co-driven as always by Jonas Andersson. The duo also won their native Swedish Championship this year in a Suzuki Ignis, and competed on the inaugural World Championship Rally Japan as well. He also received the Immarsat Rising Star of the Year-award. Having won more Junior World Championship rallies than any other driver in 2004, the 24-year-old is looking forward to defending his title.
Guy Wilks, 23, will be navigated once more by Phil Pugh. The Englishman led the Junior World Rally Championship until the final round this season, having won two rallies and finished two further events on the podium. He also clinched the British Super 1600 Championship and the British Junior Championship in a Suzuki Ignis.
Two more drivers will be seen in a 2004-specification Suzuki Ignis for all of next year"s Junior World Rally Championship. Kosti Katajamaki and Urmo Aava will take part in every Junior round apart from Mexico, nominating this event as their dropped score. Kosti from Finland and Urmo from Estonia are familiar faces in the Suzuki family, having driven the Ignis throughout the 2004 Junior World Championship season. Their cars will be run by Suzuki Sport Europe from Hungary, where the 5-door Ignis road car is built.
The Monster Sport Europe squad, based in Milton Keynes, will be backed by petrol company Shell International Petroleum as well as electronics company Sanyo.
For more information or Hi-Res pictures please visit our website www.suzuki-swt.com/jwrc/e or contact our PR Manager:
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