Solberg caught out in Oz
Outgoing world champion Petter Solberg has become the second driver to be caught out before the actual start of this week's Telstra Rally Australia after suffering a minor shunt during the official shakedown
Solberg damaged his Subaru Impreza WRC2004 at the pre-event rally shakedown on Thursday morning. Shakedown offers the crews a last chance to finalise the set-up of their cars ahead of the start of the final World Rally Championship round this evening.
Run in heavy rain, the Norwegian driver spun his Impreza on a short asphalt section of the gravel test and slid backwards into a gatepost, damaging the front and rear of the car.
"It was on the asphalt section where the car slid of line," said Solberg. "We went wide and the car spun. It wasn't a big problem, but the car was jammed between two gateposts. Sometimes things like this can happen, but it is a small warning that you always have to be ready for anything - you can have too much confidence."
Earlier this week, double world champion Carlos Sainz crashed heavily during reconnaissance. A neck injury forced the Spaniard out of what would have been the final rally of his 18-year career at the highest level of the sport.
Sainz will bid farewell to the sport when he takes part in the drivers' parade at Gloucester Park this evening, before returning home to Spain tomorrow.
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