Suzuki: Farewell with melancholy and anticipation
FROM SAUGER TO TURBO Fabian Eggenberger also won the last race with the Swift Sport at the Ambri slalom. From 2019, the Suzuki Grand Prix will be held with the New Swift with a 1400cc turbo engine. For three years, Suzuki Switzerland kept its sporting ambassadors competing with the retired Swift Sport in the L2 to 1600 cc class [...]
For three years, Suzuki Switzerland kept its sporting ambassadors, who competed in slaloms in the L2 to 1600 cc class with the retired Swift Sport, happy with plenty of prize money. Ambri marked the end, but in 2019 the Suzuki Grand Prix will again be held as an official one-make cup with the New Swift.
This made one or two drivers a little melancholy, as they all rave about the sensational handling of the small Swift with its 1600cc naturally aspirated engine.
Fabian Eggenberger: "With slicks and a good chassis, you could get the last out of the Swift Sport. In terms of the fun factor and the price-performance ratio, there's nothing better. I thought about it again briefly before the last race run and then concentrated on going full guns once more."
Seventh victory with a big lead
This was reflected in the timesheet in a sensational best time of 2'12.34, with which he outpaced his long-time rival Sandro Fehr - himself no child of sadness - on the 3.6 km course by a whopping 3.31 seconds.
Fabian Eggenberger: "Brutal, when I look at the times of the others. I don't quite understand it myself."
The garage owner from Dübendorf won seven of the eight slaloms in the Swiss championship. Only once did Sandro Fehr keep the better end for himself as the winner of Bure with a lead of 13 hundredths.
The Rorschach native acknowledged the performance of his rival and good colleague without envy.
Sandro Fehr: "Fabian simply took the cake this year. But these duels with him and the others were fun. I rode fast, but didn't manage a perfect run here. So I never got under 2'15."
Foretaste of 2019
The two track warriors have already had their first exchange of blows with the New Swift. At the ACS Zurich slalom on September 1 at the Anneau du Rhin, they tried out the 1400cc turbo, which has already been used several times by the Flammer Speed Team for testing purposes in the LOC1 - and Eggenberger also retained the upper hand by a razor-thin margin. Both are now already looking forward to 2019.
Third place, just four tenths of a second behind Fehr, went to Heiko Leiber, who took turns at the wheel with Eggenberger. The Michelin racing tires on Eggenberger's Suzuki were then completely at the end of their tether, so their performance was all the more remarkable.
Bruno Bleiker, Clio champion Denis Wolf (with Dario Zutter's car), Daniel Schneider, Igor Rodella, Claudio de Francesco and Peter Schaub took the next places in the Suzuki classification and class. Zutter himself knocked over pylons in both race heats and therefore found himself in last place.
November details
It is already becoming clear that most of those named will be there in 2019 with the new car. Interesting people from other categories are also showing interest. After the end of the OPC Challenge, the Suzuki Grand Prix is a welcome alternative.
Details of the future Suzuki Grand Prix will be revealed on November 10 at the closing event at Auto Zürich.
