Suzuki-powered Junior World Rally Championship driver Michal Kosciuszko stormed to a crushing victory on the Algarve, home of the 2009 Rally de Portugal. A faultless performance by the 23-year-old Pole was matched by the speed and reliability of his Suzuki Swift Super 1600 on the treacherous gravel terrain of the Algarve to deliver victory by more than six minutes.
Initially Kosciuszko had to claw back time lost in a cautious approach to the fan-friendly superspecial stage in the Estádio Algarve, but as soon as the rally got back onto the signature special stages for which Portugal is famed – fast, flowing and rocky gravel – he took off and was never headed for the rest of the 18 stages.
A French newcomer Yoann Bonato drove a similar Suzuki Swift Super 1600 to intimidate Kosciuszko for much of the rally. The 25-year-old skiing instructor relished his first opportunity to try the Suzuki on gravel, but an accident on Saturday afternoon put paid to his chances of taking his place on the podium.
Another Suzuki driver in Portugal, Italian Simone Bertolotti, ended the event in sixth place after a stressful time in which damage on the stages forced him to retire and restart under the Super Rally rules. Nevertheless Bertolotti is one of three Suzuki drivers currently sitting in the top five positions in the championship, while Kosciuszko capitalised on the points available as title rivals Martin Prokop and Aaron Burkart elect to miss this event as one of their two scheduled 'passes'.
