WRC - Subaru/Solberg win Rally Mexico

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Subaru's Petter Solberg parades through town on the night preceding the rally start

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March 13, 2005 Petter Solberg and the Subaru World Rally Team team claimed an emphatic victory in Corona Rally Mexico today. The Norwegian/Welsh pairing led from start to finish, winning by 34.5 seconds and now top the FIA World Rally Championship points table after a second successive win. Their success also marked Subaru's 46th WRC victory, the 45th with an Impreza and was the perfect result for the debut of the new Subaru Impreza WRC2005 – Solberg’s win in Sweden in the previous round had been with the 2004 car. Marcus Gronholm and Markko Martin finished second and third respectively, claiming all-important points for Peugeot, which now leads the Manufacturers’ Championship by eight points over Ford. Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb put in a staggering final day performance taking an average of half a second per kilometre out of his two main rivals to leap frog into fourth place after a disastrous first day had dropped him back to 18th place in the second round of the World Rally Championship.

The final two stages and 62.65 competitive kilometres of Corona Rally Mexico proved as tough as the rest for the remaining crews and today was a leg of contrasts. The opening stage was the shortest of the event at 18.26 kilometres, while the final one was possibly the longest in the entire FIA World Rally Championship at 44.39 kilometres.

This third round of the 16-event season was the first all-gravel rally of the year. Characterised by essentially fast and smooth roads close to the rally base of León, 400km north of Mexico City, the event proved tough for both man and machine with few drivers escaping problems over the 14 speed tests covering 355.97km.

Bright sunshine throughout sent temperatures up to 28°C and brought large crowds into the hills around León to watch the action. It is the highest rally of the season, peaking at an altitude of 2737 metres, and it was estimated that the thinner air reduced the power of the cars by up to 30 per cent. The combination of high temperatures and altitude affected the brakes, with many drivers finding the brake pedal going straight to the floor on longer tests.

Petter Solberg adopted a cautious approach to the day, not prepared to jeopardise his position and the potential of a second consecutive victory after also claiming maximum points in Sweden. While the former World Rally Champion had his reservations about the new car prior to the start, all were unfounded and he romped to victory by 34.5 seconds, dedicating his win to the memory of Ryuichiro Kuze - the first President of Subaru Tecnica International and the man instrumental in launching the WRC campaign - who passed away last week.

“I was very pleased to win with the old car in Sweden and then it’s an incredible feeling to win with the new one here,” said Petter. “The tribute for the rally is for Mr. Kuze; it was him that made it possible for us to be here. I am so, so pleased! I was really nervous before the start because I was not completely happy with the new car, but this is a fantastic result for the whole team.”

Marcus Gronholm notched up his best result of the season, finishing second in the Peugeot 307 WRC. The Finn cruised to the finish with a comfortable advantage, relieved to have picked up all-important points for themselves and the team.

“Normally I would not be happy to finish second, but now it feels good after retiring in Sweden and not finishing so well in Monte-Carlo,” said Marcus. “Next time we will push harder to make it difficult for Petter.”

Gronholm’s Peugeot team-mate Markko Martin rounded off the podium positions, adding to Peugeot’s tally of points and rocketing them into the lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

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