SUZUKI IN THE 2004 BRITISH RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

A Suzuki Ignis Super 1600 is taking part in this years Kwik-Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship.

Britain’s fastest-rising rallying star Guy Wilks (Darlington, County Durham) leads the newly-formed Dealer Team Suzuki, driving a five-door Suzuki Ignis in the BRC’s Super 1600 category.

The 23-year old, who is already contesting the prestigious Junior World Rally Championship in a 1.6-litre Suzuki Ignis Super 1600, is driving an identical specification car with Welsh co-driver Phil Pugh (Tywyn, Gwynedd) on seven of the eight BRC rounds. Wilks and Pugh will miss October’s Trackrod Rally Yorkshire due to their JWRC commitments in Italy but the team expects to field a replacement driver for this event.

“Dealer Team Suzuki will represent our 150 dealers across the country and we’re confident that in Guy Wilks we have the very best home-grown rallying star since world champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns,” explains Suzuki GB’s Director of Sales and Marketing David Seward.

“Terrestrial TV coverage on Channel 4 is a major bonus for the British Rally Championship and we’re certain the status of the BRC is on an upward curve once again.

“Suzuki GB is delighted to be a key player in the 2004 championship and we’re sure we stand an excellent chance of winning the Super 1600 title.”

Noted as the hottest prospect to emerge from the British rallying scene in recent years, much is expected of Wilks who is tipped to become the next major rally star from the UK.

“ Suzuki’s engineers have worked hard to make the Ignis a really strong all rounder and it is now probably the best car in Super 1600. The Ignis suits my driving style and I’m certain it will be reliable and a real force to be reckoned with in the BRC,” commented Wilks. “It’s a major bonus for me to contest the British championship as it will bring much needed additional time behind the wheel and, therefore, helps my JWRC challenge.”

Beginning in April with the Pirelli International Rally at Gateshead, the 2004 BRC takes drivers and fans on a tour touching all corners of the British Isles, including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.