Subaru target Italy, Greece victories

Solberg scored his best result of the season with second in the rally despite minor problems all weekend that included a brush with a gate post on Friday, several punctures, a broken gearshift paddle, time consuming poor tyre choices, and a small power steering glitch during the final stages.

However, Solberg finished only 44.6 seconds behind Sebastien Loeb by the end of the event and Subaru World Rally Team sporting director Luis Moya believes that that Solberg's result, combined with teammate Chris Atkinson's sixth place, means the tide is turning and they can win in Italy and Greece before the championship takes its mid-season break.

"We got two cars to the end and some good points for Petter in the drivers' championship," Moya said. "One of the most important things for me was the reliability of the cars. You know, we had no major problems whatsoever in the whole event and that's what we're looking for.

"We're going to two very tough rallies now in Italy and Greece, they're going to be very hard but this result encourages the team a lot.

"I'm also pleased with the work that Pirelli has done, the tyres have been working very well in tricky conditions - particularly on the second day. We've proved now that we have the speed on gravel and I see no reason why we can't win the next two events - that's our goal."

Solberg said he is looking forward to the next event after the Impreza's performance.

"The car is getting there now, we're back fighting for the lead and I can go for an attack - it's been a long time since I felt like this," Solberg said.

"I wanted to win in Argentina but to finish second is still very good, we can't complain because things went almost according to the plan. I tried everything and we would have had a very good chance of winning this rally if it wasn't for the problems we had, but underneath it all I'm feeling much more positive."