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The Rally Argentina provides a vivid contrast to last month’s Rally Mexico where competitors will swap the heat and rocks for cooler weather and softer gravel surfaces near the city of Cordoba, about 700 km northwest of Buenos Aires. Suzuki will also be hoping for a change in fortunes following a premature end to the Rally Mexico, in which P-G Andersson ran as high as sixth overall and where team mate Toni Gardemeister notched up his 100th rally.

Argentina is one of the most spectacular events of the season, featuring dramatic stages at high altitudes and stunning scenery – including several crests and watersplashes. As was the case in Mexico, the high altitudes will also sap up to 25 percent of the power from the engines on classic mountain stages such as Giulio Cesare and El Condor. When watersplashes are encountered, the SX4 WRC’s front bodywork has been specially modified to disperse water quickly from the engine bay and prevent damage.

With its lunar landscapes and enthusiastic local crowd, Argentina is a real highlight of the World Rally Championship. In total, the action consists of 21 special stages over almost 350 kilometres.

Toni Gardemeister has some previous experience of the Rally Argentina, having competed on the rally four times with a best result of fourth in 2005. Gardemeister commented, “I like Argentina very much and I’m looking forward to going back there after a two-year gap. There are lots of things that can catch people out, so by driving carefully and keeping out of trouble there’s a very good chance of scoring some useful points.”

Since the start of the season P-G Andersson has demonstrated that he is more than capable of keeping pace with the frontrunners, despite the fact that Argentina will only be the young Swede’s fourth rally in a World Rally Car.

“I’ve only been to Argentina once before, in 2005, so this will be another very big learning experience for me – although I’m getting used to that now. The surfaces are quite specialised, so one of our biggest challenges will be to adapt the car to them quickly.”

Having investigated the engine problems in Mexico, the entire Suzuki team is determined to bounce back and continue the run of success that saw it score points on every round of the championship up until then.

A new member of the team is Paul Wilding, who becomes team manager. Wilding is a familiar face with the company having managed Suzuki’s Junior World Championship campaign in recent years.

Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, Suzuki’s team principal, said: “Argentina is renowned as a very tough event, where the soft ground can often hide some big stones. Since Mexico we have improved the reliability of the engine, so we are aiming to get to the finish in Argentina in order to learn more about the car and what is needed to achieve success at the highest level. The priority for both drivers is to get to the end: if we can score some points as well it would be a very welcome bonus.”

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