Teemu Suninen believes a recent test in Finland has helped him and the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team improve his Ford Fiesta WRC.
Suninen, who this season partners Elfyn Evans in a pair of Fiesta WRC’s in full season campaigns for the Cumbrian team, heads into Rally Sweden hoping to improve on his 11th place finish on the opening round of the season in Monte-Carlo in January.
The Finn said ahead of Rally Sweden: “Last week we drove a good test day with more than 200 kilometres in Finland. We actually had a lot more set-up changes to work through this year, and I could feel we’d taken a step forward.”
“Our competitiveness in Rally Sweden will of course depend a bit on the weather. There is always a chance to minimise the time loss when someone else is cleaning the road for the drivers behind. The key is to stay on the clean line for as long as possible.”
He added: “We start this rally with the notes I made last year, and I expect the competition to be just as tough as it was in Monte. Everyone wants the top positions, and we will have to work hard to ensure we are also in the hunt.”
Suninen in 2018 finished Rally Sweden in eighth overall in a Fiesta WRC for M-Sport in what is so far his only appearance in a current-generation WRC car on the event.
Rally Sweden begins tomorrow with a total of 19 stages totalling over 315km.
