Rally GB: Solberg claims first win

So close has he been to the top step of the podium throughout this season that the win instantly catapulted him to second in the championship - even though World Champion Marcus Gronholm ended the season with more than double Solberg's points haul!

It was a day when Solberg truly came of age (to be absolutely accurate he's not 28 until Tuesday) as he had to cope with intense pressure from Ford's Markko Martin - another driver still chasing that elusive first win - and the hovering Richard Burns who began the day less than a minute off the lead but still within striking distance.

Martin was overcautious on the first, foggy, stage and saw his overnight lead disappear into Solberg's hands. Then it was Solberg's turn for a scare as his rear suspension showed signs of succumbing to the battering of the south Wales forests as Martin rattled off a fastest time. With Burns now past Carlos Sainz and into third place it was 'game on' once more.

Into Margam for the first time and Solberg hit back with his second stage win of the day. Harri Rovanpera's Peugeot suffered hydraulic problems and lost all the time gained over the first two stages, letting Hyundai into that vital fourth place in the Manufacturers' series. Sebastien Loeb's superb drive for Citroen ended just as he was really getting into the groove, the front left wheel left flapping in the breeze when a lower wishbone broke.

But the most significant moment came when Burns slithered off the road and into retirement on the first Margam stage, bringing down the curtain on a barren year for the 2001 World Champion and promoting Colin McRae to the 'top Brit' slot once again. Unlike Gronholm who, despite having his car scattered half way across the Epynt ranges yesterday, still tried the starter button, Burns knew immediately that the Peugeot wasn't coming back out of the trees...

All Solberg now had to do was keep his head amid the circus that was going on around him and that's just what he did, rattling off a final fastest time to kick-start the celebrations from Cardiff to Norway.

With the titles all wrapped up in New Zealand and Marcus Gronholm seemingly able to win with ease wherever he goes, the WRC needed something to send everyone into the winter 'break' on a high. Rally GB did just that with a win for one of the sport's most popular drivers and an event that kept the excitement right to the finish.

It's just over nine weeks to go to the Monte Carlo Rally and the start of the 2003 season. There'll be some new faces and some fresh car/driver combinations. The one thing that will still be clearly evident is the smile on the face of Petter Solberg and his Welsh (note that carefully!) co-driver Phil Mills.