Gardemeister hoping for seasonal goodwill

Toni Gardemeister and his TGS Worldwide team will be hoping for some seasonal goodwill as they attempt to secure the funding for a second Intercontinental Rally Challenge campaign in 2012.

Finn Gardemeister made eight appearances in his TGS-run ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 in 2011, scoring points on each occasion with co-driver Tapio Suominen. However, he requires sponsorship to return to the series next season following the loss of a key backer.

“Unfortunately our main sponsors informed me last week that they will not continue in season 2012,” said Gardemeister. “Now we are trying to find some support everywhere as we are ready for the start and finally would like to achieve our goal of podiums. We made a total rebuild of our ŠKODA Fabia and now the car is in perfect condition. It’s not easy to find the budget during the Christmas week when most companies already signed all the plans for next year [but] we try to do our best.”

Gardemeister added that he would consider running his car for a young driver if a suitable candidate approached his team with the required funding.