Gardemeister in the process of making the pass for 100

The Rally of Mexico, which will take place next week, will be the third event of the 2008 WRC World Rally Championship. It will also be an opportunity for Tony Gardemeister, the official driver of the Suzuki World Rally Team, to celebrate his hundredth start in the world championship.

The Finn started his WRC career at the 1996 Rally Finland. Today, he is the active driver who has been an official driver the most often, although he is only 32 years old.

Gardemeister participated in the Rally Mexico only once, in 2005, when he finished sixth driving a Ford Focus. But the biggest memory he retains from this event is a flu that limited his performance. This time, for his hundredth start in the world championship, the Finn is in great shape.

« Reaching one hundred world rallies is a great achievement, » he comments. « I have been in the championship for quite a long time but it’s quite misleading because many drivers have gone even further. »

I’m looking forward to being in Mexico. I was so sick the last time I did this rally that I struggled to finish sixth. Maybe that’s why I have few memories of the event, aside from beautiful stages and big rocks appearing out of nowhere. I hope to enjoy my hundredth rally and score more points for Suzuki. I think it’s entirely possible.

Quotes from the WRC Journal