After the recent Rally Japan, where Suzuki scored fifth and sixth places the best results of the season in the SX4, RallyBuzz caught up with Toni Gardemeister and co-driver Tomi Tuominen for the RB top 20 questions.

Toni Gardemeister here are your RallyBuzz top 20 Questions...

1. What is your date of birth?

31 March 1975

2. Nationality?

Finnish

3. Where do you live?

Monaco

4. What is your marital status?

dating

5. What was your first rally?

Kouvola Rally 1993

6. And your WRC debut?

Rally Finland 1996

7. Do you have any hobbies?

Car tuning/maintenance, my three dogs, driving my private rally car

8.  What was your first car?

Ford Escort RS 2000

9. What car do you drive now?

BMW

10. How did you get into rallying?

My father was rally driver.

11. What is your favourite music and group?

“Tallulah” by Sonata Arctica.

12.  If you were not a Rally Driver what would you be?

I don’t know. Probably I would run my own business.

13. What is your favourite rally and why?

Rally Australia like it used to be. Good atmosphere, nice country, and I liked the slippery stages a lot.

14. And your least favourite rally and why?

Wales Rally GB. There is always bad weather.

15. What is the best gift given to you by a sponsor or fan?

There are plenty of gifts, and – sorry – I just can’t choose one.

16. What was the last movie you saw and did you like it?

Indiana Jones. Actually I did not like it. It was too similar to the old ones.

17. Most drivers have a lucky mascot or lucky thing – do you have one and what is it and why?

I don’t have any.

18. What is your favourite place in the world?

Lapland in wintertime.

19. Who is the person you most admire?

Hopefully it will be Barack Obama.

20. And questions 20! What ambitions do you have for 2009?

Get good results in the Suzuki SX4 WRC.

Tomi Tuominen (co-driver to Toni Gardemeister) here are your RallyBuzz top 20 Questions...

1. What is your date of birth?

8 November 1971

2. What is your nationality?

Finnish

3. Where do you live?

Lohja, Finland

4. What is your marital status?

married

5. Whay was your first rally?

100 Rally, Finland 1991

6. Your WRC debut?

Rally Finland 1999

7. Do you have any hobbies?

Music, ice hockey, golf

8. What was your first car?

Peugeot 309

9. What car do you drive now?

Peugeot 207

10. How did you get into rallying?

My parents were both co-drivers, my mother has actually been driver and co-driver.

11. What is your favourite music and group?

“Sweet Child o’Mine” by Guns’n Roses

12. If you were not a Rally co-driver what would you be?

A TV commentator.

13. What is your favourite rally and why?

Rallye de France – Tour de Corse. It’s a legendary rally. Weather and roads are great.

14. And your least favourite rally and why?

I don’t know, to be honest.

15. What is the best gift given to you by a sponsor or fan?

An old Japanese lady gave me a little thing that gives you luck. It’s now hanging in my bedroom.

16.  What was the last movie you saw and did you like it?

Lost in translation. I really like it.

17. Most drivers have a lucky mascot or lucky thing – do you have one and what is it and why?

I don’t have any. But my wedding ring is always in the right direction on my finger. You can always read the engraving straight away when you take it off.

18. What is your favourite place in the world?

Home.

19. Who is the person you most admire?

My daughter.

20. And finally what is your ambition for 2009?

Be in the Suzuki SX4 WRC and achieve good results.

Many thank to Toni and Tomi for doing the interviews and in part two we talk to Per-Gunnar Andersson and Jonas Andersson.

Images: Suzuki Press

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