Argentina, land of misfortune for Suzuki

The head of Suzuki World Rally Team, Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, claims that bad luck played a significant role in the disappointing result at the Rally Argentina. However, according to the Japanese, the previous issues with the SX4 WRC have been resolved.

The two Suzuki SX4 WRCs arrived in Argentina with a new cylinder head to prevent further retirements, similar to Gardemeister’s withdrawal at Monte-Carlo, Andersson in Sweden, and the double retirement in Mexico.

In Argentina, the Suzuki drivers worked on settings for soft and wet surfaces, but the crews experienced mechanical issues.

On the first day, P-G Andersson’s rally was hindered by a turbo pressure sensor failure before a suspension break stopped him on the second day. On Sunday, the Swede resumed to set the eighth fastest time in Giulio Cesare.

Gardemeister had a trouble-free start to the race until he hit a rock in the afternoon. He started again the next day but was slowed down by hydraulic and electronic issues that prevented him from finishing the stage. The Finn started again on Sunday but was unable to reach the podium.

« It is certain that we still have a lot of work to do and even if we are disappointed, we have been affected by bad luck, Tajima says. « The sensor that stopped P-G during the first stage is a very small part and it is unusual for Toni to hit a stone that was right in the path. It seems that we have managed to solve the problems that affected us in the past. We must continue to solve all the issues. Once that’s done, we can regularly aim to compete with the top teams. »

According to the WRC – Suzuki WRT