Last season, Suninen competed with Hyundai in the WRC2 category of the World Rally Championship, but the year proved to be very difficult. Later in the year, it was reported that Suninen had returned to driving. In October, he tested Toyota’s GR Yaris Rally2 car in France.
At the time, there was speculation about whether Suninen could secure a drive with Toyota. However, that did not happen – the tests were purely for Toyota’s needs. The team required an experienced driver for testing, and Suninen stepped in to help.
Since then, Suninen has largely stayed out of the public eye. It was high time to ask: what has he been up to?
“Life has been a bit different now, without a rally every week or two and constant preparations. I’ve seen life from a different perspective, not being stuck in that ten-year rally grind,” Suninen told RallyJournal.com.
However, Suninen has not left rallying behind entirely – nor does he intend to.
“At the moment, I’m involved in rallying by doing coaching and small testing sessions. A couple of weeks ago, we did some tyre testing for Hankook, and there’s been a steady stream of little projects like that,” Suninen revealed.
The Finnish driver still dreams of returning to competitive driving. There could still be opportunities in the future, depending largely on what new regulations are set for the World Rally Championship next year.
“It would be nice to get the new regulations confirmed soon so that manufacturers and teams would know what kind of packages we’ll be running. If there’s a need for experienced test drivers and experienced drivers in general, then a spot could open up,” Suninen considered.
Coaching work has kept him busy in the meantime. Suninen has been coaching promising Finnish rally driver Tuukka Kauppinen, along with a number of young international drivers.
“I’ve really enjoyed that side of things too. It’s rewarding to help younger drivers,” Suninen said.
“After all, I have ten years of experience at the top level of world rallying, and I know what the boys are preparing for. Lately, I’ve been coaching more international drivers. Tuukka, of course, has a very busy season ahead,” he added.
