Petter Solberg comfortably took victory in this weekend's Mexican Rally aboard the new Subaru Impreza WRC2005. The Norwegian recorded seven out of 14 stage wins on the car's debut run...

Petter Solberg comfortably took victory in this weekend's Mexican Rally aboard the new Subaru Impreza WRC2005. The Norwegian recorded seven out of 14 stage wins on the car's debut run...

Solberg shot ahead on Friday’s opening stage and successfully held off assaults by Citroën’s Sebastien Loeb and Marcus Gronholm and Markko Martin from Peugeot. Solberg displayed a measured performance of speed and caution, while taking the time to get used to the car.

"I'm so pleased that we came through with the rally," said Solberg. "There are still things to do (to the car) and with 13 rallies left, it's still a long way. I'm very pleased - it's almost a perfect beginning for the new car.

"To get a win with the old car in Sweden and another with the new one here is a great feeling," Solberg continued. "For sure there's still more to come from this car, but I'm very happy with the progress we've made already."

Gronholm and team-mate Martin took second and third places for Peugeot, giving the French team the manufacturers’ championship lead for the first time in a while.

"For the team, it's good," commented Gronholm. "Everybody knows I can win and now they know I can come second, but this doesn't mean I will stay second all year..."

Loeb finished Friday’s stage in 14th position after receiving a penalty-free engine change and sustaining a suspension problem which cost the Frenchman four minutes. The defending WRC champion clawed his way back through order to finish the final stage in fourth position, up from sixth.

"When I saw I could get the places back, I pushed hard and we were coming back very fast," Loeb explained. "I honestly drove the final stage as though victory depended on it. It was a near-perfect run, perhaps one of the best of my career!

“Finishing 4th allows me to stay on the heels of the championship leaders and also keeps Citroen in the frame. The car cannot be perfect every time. I am very happy with the result and the battle for the Championship is never finished. In the end, everything is possible," Loeb stated.

Mitsubishi’s Harri Rovanpera pipped Ford’s Gardemeister to fifth after Loeb’s move up to fourth in the final moments of the rally. The points leader ahead of the weekend’s clash, Gardemeister has since dropped to third on the leaderboard after a cautious Mexican debut.

Citroën’s Francois Duval finished in a disappointing tenth position after being plagued by engine problems on Saturday’s second leg.

Original article from Car