Suzuki one-two-three-four in Greece!
Third in class was the Ignis of Urmo Aava, ahead of the similar Suzuki of Kosti Katajamaki in fourth. Completing the Suzuki domination was Martin Prokop in seventh place.
P-G led from start to finish. Having built up a sizeable advantage on the first day, he was able to control his pace to the finish, in a tactical yet dominant victory. His Ignis was entirely reliable throughout the event.
The Acropolis Rally is well-known for high temperatures with rough and rocky conditions, making it a gruelling test for both man and machine. This year’s event was no exception, as crews battled their way over sharp stones and through choking dust. Punctures were a constant risk, yet P-G managed to steer clear of any sort of trouble.
The reigning Junior World Champion said: “This was the perfect rally for me. It got off to a perfect start, as we had a two-day test near Livadia before the rally, which enabled us to fine-tune the car to the very specific demands of this famous event. Our plan was to push quite hard on the first day, when conditions were not too bad, and then try and conserve the lead over the second and third days, which were quite rough. Luckily this plan worked perfectly and we had no dramas at all.”
Guy Wilks dramatic start meant he was forced to limp back to service and dropped to 5th. There were more dramas for Guy at the end of the day, when he was stuck behind a car with a puncture whose driver could not see him. But this was the start of an epic fightback. With a masterful string of rapid stage times, Guy clawed his way back up the leaderboard. His reward for a spectacular drive was second place in class at the finish, along with second in the championship.
The Englishman reported: “It’s not been an easy event, but you never expect that in the Acropolis Rally! It’s a pity that we had those problems on the opening day, as I think our subsequent pace shows what we would have been capable of. However, there’s no point in speculating on what might have been: I’m very happy to finish second and take the points. It’s brilliant for Suzuki to have four cars in the top four: this result just goes to show the strength and speed of the Ignis in these types of very difficult conditions.”
Urmo Aava also had no real problems en route to third place. He took second at the end of the first day, when his key rivals hit trouble. Thanks to some quick yet safe driving he was able to keep his position until the final morning.
Kosti Katajamaki, competing with an Ignis run by Suzuki Sport Europe, battled a flu-like illness throughout the event, and felt so unwell on the final day that his co-driver took the wheel on the road sections.
Suzuki Sports President Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima said: “This brilliant victory and fantastic result is a testimony to the continuing strength and pace of the Ignis. We’ve worked very hard to get to this level and now we’ve ended up with a car that is extremely tough to beat! That is also thanks to our excellent line-up of drivers, who are real champions of the future. P-G was flawless throughout the rally and Guy was really unlucky, but just as quick. Despite the very difficult conditions everybody performed impeccably.”
The Suzuki drivers will be back in action on the next Junior World Rally Championship round, Rally Finland from August 5-7.Junior World Rally Championship final classification, Acropolis Rally:
1 P-G Andersson (Suzuki): 4h41m21.4s
2 Guy Wilks (Suzuki): +2m50.4s
3 Urmo Aava (Suzuki): +3m35.6s
4 Kosti Katajamaki (Suzuki): +8m39.1s
5 Mirco Baldacci (Fiat): +9m51.2s
6 Kris Meeke (CitroꬠC2): +15m15.3s
7 Martin Prokop (Suzuki): +18m52.8s
8 Conrad Rautenbach (Citroꬩ: +19m48.2s
11 Alan Scorcioni (Suzuki Ignis) +40m50.4s
Junior World Rally Championship points standings after round four:
1 P-G Andersson (Suzuki Ignis) 25p
2 Guy Wilks (Suzuki Ignis) 23p
3 Kris Meeke (CitroꬠC2) 19p
4 Daniel Sordo (CitroꬠC2) 15p
5 Urmo Aava (Suzuki Ignis) 14p
6 Kosti Katajamaki (Suzuki Ignis) 13p
7 Luca Betti (Renault Clio) 9p
8 Alan Scorcioni (Suzuki Ignis) 6p
10 Pavel Valousek (Suzuki Ignis) 6p
12 Martin Prokop (Suzuki Ignis) 4p
