The Suzuki team will put its two Suzuki Swift R4lly S back into operation with Joan Vinyes and Javier Pardo at the wheel. Jordi Mercader and Adrián Pérez will be their respective co-drivers. The Swift made an impression in 2020 for its fantastic performance and great reliability in its first year. This allowed them to finish without setbacks and with outstanding results all their participations, both on gravel and on asphalt.
At Rally Madrid, a program completed with a lot of test work and seven rallies ended. From that point on, the team carried out a thorough review of the two cars to refine and incorporate minor improvements (along with a new unit coming out of the garage).
In this case, the chosen rally could not be other than the RACC Rally of Spain in its return to the top category of rallying. On the other hand, and depending on the possible variations of dates, the team will participate in as many rounds of the Spanish and Portuguese Rally Championships (three in Spain and two in Portugal, probably).
Also as a novelty this year, there will be a team participating in the CEEA (Spanish Alternative Energy Championship). Suzuki Ibérica, with the support of its subsidiary dealer, Suzuki Madrid, will be present, for the first time, in this championship with a unit of the Suzuki ACross, the new SUV presented a few months ago and with PHEV technology. The team will be made up of Hugo Velasco as driver and Celso Roces as co-driver, both from Asturias. It is the first time that Suzuki has participated in this Championship and with many illusions, both in the car and in its crew.
A complete and extensive sports program in a really complicated year and in which once again Suzuki Ibérica is the brand with the greatest commitment to rallying in Spain, with its own team, with the promotional cup with more aid, with sponsorships and aid to different organizations, and ultimately, with a commitment to sports car racing as one of its best marketing and promotional resources.
Juan López Frade, President of Suzuki Motor Ibérica, described it this way: “It has not been easy to prepare this year’s program. The uncertainty of the pandemic makes it impossible to know if all the rallies on the calendar can be played. In any case, our goal with the official team is to make our first foray into ERC2 and see where we can be. In addition, there are drivers from other countries interested in the Suzuki Swift Rally2-Kit. It will be a great showcase for our cars”.
