Nick Koan
03-13-2005, 11:10 PM
Full Story (http://www.wrc.com/page/BreakingNewsDetail/0,,10111~639166,00.html) from wrc.com (http://www.wrc.com)
Corona Rally Mexico winner Petter Solberg has said he's pleased to have secured his second victory of the 2005 season and put behind him the disappointment of last year's penalty, which denied him a potential win on the event. The Norwegian now leads the drivers' standings by one point from Peugeot's Markko Martin.
Solberg dominated the North American event from the start, winning the first stage on Friday and then holding off a concerted challenge from the Peugeots of double world champion Marcus Gronholm and former Ford driver Martin over the next two days. This was the first event for the new, 2005-specification Subaru Impreza, and Solberg was quick to praise the importance of the car's role in his Mexican win.
"I'm so, so pleased," Solberg said. "It's almost a perfect beginning for the new Impreza. I was really nervous before the start because I was not totally confident with the car, but this is a fantastic result for the whole team. We struggled a bit before the rally, and there's still some work to do on the new car, but we've got one of the best teams and everything is going in the right direction.
"With 13 rallies still to go, a lot can still happen and I think the championship fight will be tough. Last year, I was chasing Sebastien for the title and I always said how it was more fun to be chasing rather than being chased. I'm enjoying leading the championship, now, though so I think maybe I like both."
Corona Rally Mexico winner Petter Solberg has said he's pleased to have secured his second victory of the 2005 season and put behind him the disappointment of last year's penalty, which denied him a potential win on the event. The Norwegian now leads the drivers' standings by one point from Peugeot's Markko Martin.
Solberg dominated the North American event from the start, winning the first stage on Friday and then holding off a concerted challenge from the Peugeots of double world champion Marcus Gronholm and former Ford driver Martin over the next two days. This was the first event for the new, 2005-specification Subaru Impreza, and Solberg was quick to praise the importance of the car's role in his Mexican win.
"I'm so, so pleased," Solberg said. "It's almost a perfect beginning for the new Impreza. I was really nervous before the start because I was not totally confident with the car, but this is a fantastic result for the whole team. We struggled a bit before the rally, and there's still some work to do on the new car, but we've got one of the best teams and everything is going in the right direction.
"With 13 rallies still to go, a lot can still happen and I think the championship fight will be tough. Last year, I was chasing Sebastien for the title and I always said how it was more fun to be chasing rather than being chased. I'm enjoying leading the championship, now, though so I think maybe I like both."