Full Story (http://www.wrc.com/page/RallyReports/0,,10111~626755,00.html) from wrc.com (http://www.wrc.com)

2003 world champion Petter Solberg got the Uddeholm Swedish Rally monkey off his back this year, with a superb first win on Karlstad's snow-covered stages that was both gritty and measured at the same time. The Norwegian emerged strongest from a two-day scrap with Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm and Citroen's reigning champion, Sebastien Loeb, to ease off on the final leg.

It was all change on the closing stages, however, as first Gronholm retired following an off on the morning loop of stages, then Loeb succumbed to engine problems that he had nursed from the end of Saturday's second leg. That left new Peugeot recruit Markko Martin and Ford's flying Finn, Toni Gardemeister - scoring his second podium finish in a row - to pick up the final podium spots after relatively invisible drives.

"It's incredible," said a delighted Solberg as he was engulfed by enthusiastic crowd of Scandinavians at the final flying finish. "It has been a dream for me to win this event for years, and the support of the fans from Sweden and Norway this weekend has been great. Also, I can't tell you how much work the team have put in before this rally after the disappointment of Monte Carlo."

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After fears about the condition of the stages, thanks to an un-seasonal lack of snow, there was relatively disruption and few problems on what were comparatively snow-bare stages. In fact, this year's Swedish Rally proved as fast as previous years, but also highly technical as changing conditions between the recce and the start of each leg meant drivers were always heading into the unknown without the reassurance of the bumper-effect of the snow banks.

Mitsubishi's Harri Rovanpera inherited fourth thanks to the retirements of Gronholm and Loeb, but team-mate Gigi Galli could have been on the podium had it not been for driveshaft damage for an off at the start of the closing loop of stages on Saturday. The Italian had been flying, despite admitting that he was taking it easy to try and score points for the team - an indication perhaps, that Gilles Panizzi's podium in the Monte Carlo season-opener was no fluke, and that maybe Mitsubishi really is back. In the end, Galli finished seventh, ensuring Mitsubishi took a double haul of points.

Manufacturer points-nominated privateer Henning Solberg also ensured a double points-haul for Ford with fifth place, ahead of local Swede Daniel Carlsson, who impressed with a solid performance in the privateer Bozian Racing-run Peugeot 307. Roman Kresta completed the drivers' championship standings in eighth, but wasn't registered by the Ford team for manufacturers' championship points.

Reigning DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom scored two manufacturers' points for Skoda on his one-off appearance with the team in what was a solid debut at the WRC's top level for the former Group N class winner here. Citroen's Francois Duval finished 12th after losing four minutes with damage from an off on Saturday. Skoda regular Janne Tuohino had been on course for a points finish until an off on SS19.

Subaru's new recruits - Australian Chris Atkinson and French former single-seater ace Stephane Sarrazin - had a mixed first weekend on snow with 13th and 14th places, although Atkinson was set for points finish following an impressive debut, until losing 12 minutes on the closing loop of stages with damage from an off.

Ford's Toni Gardemeister, therefore, comes out of Sweden a surprise lead of the drivers' standings, ahead of an equally astonished Markko Martin after two moderate first rallies with Peugeot. Reigning champion Sebastien Loeb and 2003 champion Petter Solberg are an equal third with 10 points apiece, ahead of Mitsubishi's Harri Rovanpera. Ford has a pleasant three-point lead in the manufacturers' standings from Peugeot, with Mitsubishi pipping Citroen and Subaru.

Subaru stalwart Toshi Arai dominated the Production World Rally Championship class in what proved to be a retirement-hit weekend. Thanks to the new restart rules for 2005, however, Angelo Medeghini and Fabio Frisiero were able to finish second and third in class, albeit 17 minutes down on Arai.

I watched the rally last night on speed, good action.