Solberg Chooses not to Restart

Solberg stopped on SS6 with electronics problems but had been expected to restart today with only a five-minute penalty for missing one stage. However, his Subaru team have opted to preserve the engine for the twinned event in Greece. All engines must be built to last two rallies.

"Clearly we're disappointed that Petter is unable to continue," said Subaru team boss David Lapworth. "But concern about the extent of the damage makes it unwise for him to do so. On SS4, the air filter on Petter's car became heavily clogged with sand and gravel. Running in this condition for many kilometres has led to a number of concerns and this was the cause of Petter's problems at the start of SS6.

"In the circumstances, we felt it better to withdraw him from this event and be ready to challenge for victory in Greece rather than compromise our chances by aiming for a points finish here, with a question mark over the extent of the damage to the engine."