“There was no warning,” said Andersson. “For a moment it felt like it was losing power, then it dropped to just three cylinders. It’s certainly not the best start to the rally.”
The team examined the engine and finally decided that to replace it was the only way out. The replacement will cause a five minute penalty for Andersson and although this will not be confirmed till the stewards meet later in the day, the outcome is almost certain to haunt the Swede.
Paul Wilding, Suzuki World Rally Team manager said that he was hoping that Andersson would be able to get his repaired car back to the Shakedown stage before the session was closed.
