Positive start for Suzuki in 2004 JWRC with second place in Monte CarloThe Suzuki Ignis Super 1600 driven by Urmo Aava finished second in the Junior World Rally Championship classification at the end of the 2004 Monte Carlo Rally yesterday [25 January, 2004].

Mirco Baldacci's Ignis ended the opening round of the Championship sixth whilst team mate P-G Andersson was a points scoring eighth after his car led for most of the opening day.

Out of the original 21 starters only nine cars made the finish - including the three Suzukis - demonstrating, once again, their formidable reliability.

This positive result for Suzuki came despite the retirements of the other two Suzuki drivers Guy Wilks and Kosti Katajamaki. Wilks' car became embedded in a snow drift on Friday whilst Katajamaki's car hit a rock on Saturday.

On his way to second place Aava used his previous experience of the event to good effect by blasting straight into contention in his 2003 specification Ignis and taking the lead after stage five.

He fought at the sharp end throughout the rally and his Ignis was totally reliable for all three days.

The Junior World Championship resumes in five months time on the Acropolis Rally from 4 to 6 June. The competition should be spiced up by some interesting new cars, such as Citroën's C2 and the all-new Ford Fiesta.

The Acropolis is a gravel rally that contrasts completely with Monte Carlo and the event is run in searing heat with sharp rocks that can be the size of footballs. A strong car is vital and Suzuki's Ignis Super 1600 team is planning an exhaustive test programme to replicate the harsh conditions.

2004 Junior World Rally Championship after the Monte Carlo Rally

1 Nicolas Bernardi      Renault Clio    4h 35m 41.1s 2 Urmo Aava             Suzuki Ignis    +4m 08.0s 3 Kris Meeke            Opel Corsa      +7m 34.5s 4 Alessandro Broccoli   Fiat Punto      +7m 42.1s 5 Larry Cols            Renault Clio    +11m 23.0s 6 Mirco Baldacci        Suzuki Ignis    +12m 12.8s 7 Luca Cecchettini      Renault Clio    +23m 33.5s 8 P-G Andersson         Suzuki Ignis    +25m 41.4s

Junior World Rally Championship classification after round 1, Monte Carlo                        1 Nicolas Bernardi      Renault Clio    10 points2 Urmo Aava             Suzuki Ignis    8 points3 Kris Meeke            Opel Corsa      6 points 4 Alessandro Broccoli   Fiat Punto      5 points 5 Larry Cols            Renault Clio    4 points 6 Mirco Baldacci        Suzuki Ignis    3 points 7 Luca Cecchettini      Renault Clio    2 points 8 P-G Andersson         Suzuki Ignis    1 point