After scoring a third consecutive WRC podium finish yesteday, Petter Solberg maintains his lead of the 2005 FIA Drivers' Championship. Delivering a measured and strategic drive aboard his Subaru Impreza WRC2005, the Norwegian kept out of trouble to ensure a solid points finish.
His team-mate Chris Atkinson demonstrated strong potential over the weekend. Setting a string of competitive split times on only his third event in a WRC-class car, the 25-year- old more than achieved his development objectives. He finished in seventh place to claim FIA Championship points for both himself and the team.
Petter Solberg"I'm very happy actually. My plan for this rally was third or fourth place and we've come away with some good points and the lead of the championship. We knew it would be difficult right from the start. In fact we did okay but later on, on the hard and dry roads, we were far away. But that's how it is sometimes, I didn't want to lose those six points, so took it steady and went for the best possible finish. I'm feeling very positive about the championship now. For sure we have some work to do, but overall the feeling is good. I'm very happy with the new car and with 12 more rallies to go, things are looking very interesting."
Chris Atkinson"It's good to get to the finish, but it would have been nice to get a better result. It's a bit of a shame that we lost some of the pace we had earlier in the rally. The plan was to build up the speed, but in fact we've ended up doing pretty much the opposite. We've certainly learned a lot about the set-up of the car though. Some things worked well, others not so well. The last two stages actually felt pretty good, I was much more comfortable with the handling, but at that point there was no reason to push too hard. Overall I'm pretty happy. We did some good times this weekend, and that's encouraging, the pace is there, but I need more time in the car to go fast all the time."
David Lapworth, Team Principal"For us, it's mission accomplished. We came here with a very clear strategy - to finish on the podium and Petter has done exactly that. He's kept out of trouble, there not a mark on the car, he hasn't taken any risks and has maintained his lead in the Championship. It's not easy for any of us not to drive for a win, but I think it was the right thing to do and now Petter goes into a run of events that suit him. Chris has had a very good weekend. His times on Friday underlined his potential and he's learned an enormous amount about the event, which will put him in a very strong position next year. That's exactly what he came here to do."
Round five of the FIA World Rally Championship, the all-gravel Rally Italia Sardinia, starts on 29 April. Despite moving to the spring for 2005 from it's previous autumn date, the character of the event should remain largely the same, featuring medium to fast roads covered in fine gravel. The rally will be based in the millionaire's resort of Porto Cervo, while the service and headquarters will be situated at the industrial port of Olbia. Including 17 stages and 530 competitive kilometres, the three-day event will conclude on Sunday 1 May.
