Solberg retires from day one

The Subaru driver had been running fifth when his car sustained suspension damage in SS5. He lost six minutes in the stage and fell to 15th place, but hoped he would be able to continue in the event.

However when they stopped on the subsequent road section, Solberg and co-driver Phil Mills discovered that both front shock absorbers had been severely damaged and they had to pull out of day one.

The former champion had reported hitting a rock in the previous stage, but had not anticipated that the impact would cause such damage.

Prior to these problems, Solberg had enjoyed an extremely promising start to the rally.

He had shared the lead with Dani Sordo after the opening stage, and held second place until SS3, when he slipped to fourth.

A quick trip off the road avoiding a rock in SS5 then cost the Norweigan another position, but he was still within five seconds of a podium place before his retirement.

Sordo continues to lead the rally, ahead of Citroen teammate Sebastien Loeb and the two Fords.