THE 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 (January 25, 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 June 4-6. The competition should be spiced up by some interesting new cars, such as Citroen'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.