The Suzuki Ignis drivers are looking forward to the start of the Rally Finland tomorrow, after a successful shakedown test this morning.

In addition to the regular squad of Mirco Baldacci, Guy Wilks, Kosti Katajamaki and P-G Andersson, three newcomers to Suzuki will also drive a 2004 specification Ignis in Finland: Jari-Matti Latvala, Jussi Valimaki and Jukka Ketomaki. As usual, Urmo Aava will also drive his 2003-specification Ignis. All the drivers other than Valimaki and Ketomaki are registered for Junior World Rally Championship points.
Today's short shakedown test, held near rally headquarters in the university town of Jyvaskyla, was a last-minute opportunity for drivers to finalise their settings before the rally start. All the Suzuki drivers chose just to drive one run over the shakedown, as they were already happy with the set-up established during pre-event testing. The weather conditions during today's shakedown were dry and hot.

Mirco Baldacci said: "This is sure to be a very challenging rally. But I'm sure I've got the car for the job: it feels very strong here and I'm confident that we can be competitive. I know what we are capable of, but we need a little bit of luck as well!"

Guy Wilks commented: "The surface conditions on the shakedown were very soft and rutted: not at all representative of what we should find on the rally. So there was no point in doing a lot of running - we are very happy with the set-up as it is!"

Kosti Katajamaki reported: "Unfortunately we had a small problem when a loose fuse caused the engine to stop. However, this was quickly fixed and it's better for this to happen on the shakedown than on the rally! The feeling with the car is good, and I'm sure we have an excellent chance."

P-G Andersson said: "It's always good to drive the car, but there was probably no need to do the shakedown: the car felt absolutely fine and the stage was not very good. I can't wait to get started as Finland is one of my favourite rallies! The roads suit my style quite well."

Monster Sport Europe team manager Risto Laine commented: "The shakedown was just a formality really, apart from the small problem we had with Kosti's car. This is completely fixed now, so it should not give him any more problems over the rest of the rally. We're confident that we've done all our homework at our test last week, so now it's just a question of enjoying the sunshine and looking forward to the start!"

Jari-Matti Latvala, driving a 2004-specification Ignis for the first time, said: "My first impression of the car is that it is very good, although it's hard to draw firm conclusions just from the shakedown. I'm really looking forward to driving my first competitive stage with the Ignis now and getting to know it better!"

Urmo Aava, in his 2003 car, is also raring to go. The Estonian said: "Finland is like a home event for me and I know the roads quite well. The car feels very strong, and I hope to use my experience to good effect."

Although the first stage does not get going until 0834 tomorrow, the Suzuki drivers will all take part in tonight's rally show: a promotional event in Jyvaskyla where fans get a chance to meet their heroes.