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The completely redesigned and eagerly anticipated Subaru Impreza WRC2008 will make its competitive debut on the classic Acropolis Rally, after an official introduction to the car on Wednesday evening before shakedown. Aboard their new machines, Solberg and Atkinson will relish the challenge of the season’s toughest event at the dawn of a new era for the Subaru World Rally Team.

Just one week after Rally Sardinia, in which the team has been working feverishly to ready the two Impreza WRC2008s for action, crews will barely have had time to catch their breath when they arrive in Greece for the iconic seventh round of the World Rally Championship.

This year sees a change to the norm as the event’s service park has been moved for the third year running, this time to the Tatoi military airport. Thursday’s spectator Superspecial stage has been similarly relocated to the roads surrounding the base.

One of the longest-standing events on the calendar, Acropolis has long been regarded as the season’s toughest event. Sitting well into European summertime, the gravel routes surrounding the ancient city of Athens will be notoriously hot and punishing on crews and cars alike, proving a stern test of the WRC’s youngest challenger.

With temperatures climbing towards 40 degrees Celsius, the roads are some of the dustiest and roughest that competitors will see. What are best described as boulders line much of the mountainous route, whilst the many rocks that scatter the stages will put the Impreza WRC2008’s surefootedness to the test.

Underfloor protection is essential on this event to prevent damage to vulnerable components beneath the cars such as gearboxes and differentials. Although the hard compound Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres that teams have used for the last four events have excelled themselves, the risk of punctures will be high and crews may find themselves having to consciously avoid some of the larger obstacles in their path.

In this rally of endurance, the most demanding on the calendar, the level of fitness of each driver will become very evident as they battle with searing in-car temperatures which will sap their strength and concentration. Durability here is as important as outright performance, and, as in Jordan, crews will pay particular attention to operating temperatures to keep the two Imprezas at their peak.

Twenty stages will take competitors through 340 kilometres of racing to the north and west of the service park. Two passes of the new Tatoi spectator stage bring to a crescendo Friday and Sunday’s competition.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team have entered two all-new Impreza WRC2008s for the Acropolis Rally. Petter Solberg / Phil Mills will drive car number five and Chris Atkinson / Stéphane Prévot will be aboard number six. Solberg and Mills finished third on this event last year, and 2008 will be Atkinson’s fourth running. His highest finish was sixth last year, alongside Prévot.

Team quotes
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal: “Acropolis will see a very different Subaru World Rally Team as we return to full strength upon the debut of our new car. Whilst a very different look and direction for us, the WRC2008 is instantly recognisable as a Subaru and I am sure will continue the marque’s iconic heritage. I am confident of a very positive step forward in our pace in Greece, despite it being the toughest event of the year, and moreover its debut heralds a new chapter in the team’s illustrious history.”

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: “Everyone who’s been in rallying for a long time likes going to Greece as it’s one of the great historic rallies. We’ll see a lot more base bedrock on the stages than in Sardinia, which makes the surface a lot harder. Using some of the old classic stages of the championship, it’s very, very challenging; the most challenging of the season for us. They’ve had a bad winter in Greece so the stages will be quite deteriorated already, and large rocks in the road always make the second passes harder. You get a good result from pushing as hard as possible without taking risks – it’s more of an endurance event.

“We’ve done a considerable amount of endurance mileage with the new car which of course we’re using for the first time in Greece, so this should stand us in good stead. The rally is bound to throw up new challenges to those we’ve faced in testing however and it’s an event likely to throw up surprises, but it’s a good tough weekend to quickly highlight areas in which we can fine-tune and continue to improve.”

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: “We finished third here last year and this time we have the new car, so I’ll be really pushing for a strong result. It’s a very difficult event; very rocky and hot, and the stages have always been very rough so it’s hard on us and the cars. We’ve had a few days in the new car now, so I have a good feeling from it and really hope that we’ll be in a good position to fight at the front. I’ll be at 110 per cent, definitely.”

Chris Atkinson: “It’s the first time out in a new car so it’s very exciting but you’re always a little cautious! If the feeling’s good I’ll be pushing straight away. There’s no reason not to, and obviously I’m looking forward to the opportunity to see where we are with the car. We know it’s going to be a very tough event as there are so many variables, so it won’t be easy but I hope we can take another step in the right direction and start to close up to the frontrunners.”

Between the rallies
In the week between Acropolis and Sardinia, the drivers and co-drivers had one final test aboard their Impreza WRC2008s before arriving in Greece ready to drive them competitively for the first time.

In the short gap amidst the busiest time of the season, the majority of the equipment travelled from Sardinia straight to Athens, although of course the WRC2008s departed from the UK on trailers.

After the rigours of the Jordanian deserts, crews will have little respite from the heat as they head to the island of Sardinia, though at least the air will be less dry and more bearable. The sixth round of the World Rally Championship represents a return to Europe after a string of three long-haul events in a row.

Itself the first of a back-to-back trio of European events, it heralds the start of the most demanding section of the season with three events in just five weeks. The travel and intensified workload will punish drivers, cars and teams alike, and go a long way to setting the Championship scene for the remainder of the season.

Sardinia lies in the Mediterranean sea between Spain and Italy, just 12 kilometres from the coast of Corsica, itself the scene for a World Rally encounter later in the season. As per previous years, the rally is based in the northern tip of the island, in the industrial port of Olbia on the Costa Smeralda coast.

The soft and almost sandy gravel roads wind through a combination of unspoiled green mountainsides that contrast with the sometime dusty and rocky routes of the lower regions. The traction and braking stability of the cars will be really tested by the loose surfaces that can cause the cars to wander as the road beneath them shifts. Eighty per cent of the local area is hilly, and while more rolling than mountainous, the stages steadily undulate.

In the typically lush Italian hills, temperatures are expected to be upwards of 20 degrees Celsius, but routes can quickly become dampened by the ever-present chance of unexpected storms. The stages are very flowing and technical, meaning it is vital that crews get into a good rhythm from the outset in order to attack fully. Crews running first on the road will clean the loose surface to the benefit of those behind them, but as the roads deteriorate and become rutted by the second passes, it will actually favour the front-runners.

The event starts with a ceremonial start in the exclusive resort of Porto Cervo, 30 kilometres to the north of the service park, and consists of 17 stages stretching 354 competitive kilometres across the northern provinces of Olbia, Sassari and Nuoro. Whilst many of the planned routes are very similar to those used in previous years, there have been several significant changes to pit competitors against new challenges, namely that the third and final day is almost completely new.

The history of the island is evident in the numerous ancient ruins that the route will take the World Rally cars past. Abandoned castles, churches and strongholds all hint at the island’s medieval past and contribute to the collapsed carved stone structures and outcrops that typify this most varied of championship events.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team have entered two Impreza WRC2007s for Rally Sardinia. Petter Solberg / Phil Mills will drive car number five and Chris Atkinson / Stéphane Prévot will be in car number six.

Solberg and Mills won the event in 2004 and finished fifth last year. Atkinson has only competed in Sardinia three times before, and 2008 will be his second attempt alongside Prévot. The duo’s highest finish on the island is tenth.

Team quotes
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal: “Sardinia presents a completely different challenge to the last round of the Championship in Jordan only two weeks ago. Our test team has been working extremely hard to resolve the problems that Petter encountered with his shock absorbers and I am confident we have made significant progress in this respect. Petter has won this event before so I am sure he goes into it with confidence and hoping that all our work has been worthwhile, enabling him to challenge strongly for a podium position.”

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: “This has traditionally been a tough rally, especially because the stages are so soft and the surface becomes badly deteriorated by the second passes. With the combination of the soft surface and rocks in and at the sides of the roads, it’ll be tough on tyres. This rally is all about reliability and consistency as all the stages are hard on the cars. The soft surface will present a very different challenge for the drivers and the setup of the car to the very hard roads we saw last in Jordan.”

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: “Sardinia is very tough as the surface is very soft and there are lots of ruts on the second passes. We’ve won there before, and I will go there pushing hard, but it is never an easy rally so we will just see. The team has been working hard since Jordan so I hope we will be able to go well there.”

Chris Atkinson: “It’s important to drive smoothly and without mistakes in Sardinia as the roads are very technical and narrow but it’s a rally I enjoy. It’s my fourth year here, and my second with Stéphane, so I hope we can have a good event and run competitively. I’m not thinking about another podium finish, but just concentrating on our pace and fighting as high up as we can.”

Between the rallies
After Jordan, the crews had their first familiarisation run aboard the all-new Impreza WRC2008 as part of the team’s testing strategy, which is progressing well. Further information will follow in the coming weeks.

After their familiarisation days, the drivers and co-drivers spent time at home, relaxing after the punishing heat of the desert and continuing their training and preparation as the WRC enters the busiest part of the season. Petter spent some time karting with his son Oliver, and Chris travelled the short distance to Monza, Italy for the fifth round of the World Superbike Championship.

Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot hold fourth position overall for the Subaru World Rally Team after battling in-car temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills however were ruled out of the competition on the day’s final stage, having earlier demonstrated improved pace with a raft of top-four stage times.

“Chris did exactly what he needed today and as a result was able to climb to fourth overall. He should be happy with his position after two very difficult days” said David Richards. “Clearly it has been a very tough day for Petter and Phil with all the problems they have experienced and it is a very disappointing end to their rally.”

Atkinson and Prévot claimed fourth place on the 15 kilometre stage 11, the longest of the day, after an accident between rally leader Sebastien Loeb and Conrad Rautenbach on the road section between stages forced both involved to retire. With a comfortable gap to the crews in third and fifth, and despite going third fastest on stage 15, Atkinson wasn’t taking any risks on the treacherously difficult surface.

“The biggest focus for us today was to get to the finish, make no mistakes and just hold position” said Chris Atkinson. “We had no major problems and got here ok. There is a big gap in front and behind of us, but we can’t afford to lose too much time so we were still driving reasonably quickly, just not taking any risks by driving around rocks and things like that. I’m happy with fourth though.

“I think tomorrow will need even more caution as the stages are more difficult, especially the long Jordan River stage, and they are a lot more loose and slippery. We’ll approach tomorrow in exactly the same way.”

In the Solberg camp, luck was certainly not on the side of the magnanimous Hollywood and Welshman Mills this weekend, and the duo had a fraught day. After setting a string of top-four stage times in a fight for Manufacturers’ points, they were hindered first by a broken shock absorber, suffered a leaking brake caliper and then slid off the road and into retirement on the final stage.

Through no fault of their own, three kilometres from the end of stage 11 the rear left suspension damper broke. Solberg was able to complete the remaining 16 kilometres and return for the midday service, enabling the team to replace the damper and attack afresh in the afternoon.

Solberg set about restoring the balance with a blistering pace on the day’s penultimate stage, fastest of the field until the last few kilometres when he experienced reduced brake feel. Attacking again in stage 16, he was running second fastest before sliding off the road heavily under braking, 5.3 kilometres into the stage.

“We had so much go wrong today” said Petter Solberg. “We knew we had a brake caliper leaking, and in the last stage I braked and the car just didn’t slow down enough. It’s so, so frustrating and just boring, you know. I want to be able to push and drive properly but we just haven’t been able to this weekend.”

The shortest day of the rally defied the forecasts and was actually hotter than yesterday’s opener. At fewer than 110 competitive kilometres, crews travelled to the north of the Dead Sea service park, along the Jordan River and towards the city of Amman.

After the first intensely punishing day of competition on the very first WRC round in the Middle East, Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot finished in fifth position overall. The Subaru World Rally Team duo of Petter Solberg and Phil Mills took an early lead but were forced to retire during the afternoon.

After a week of blistering heat, ten degrees Celsius hotter than normal for this time of year, Friday’s weather was a little more subdued by comparison. Reaching a still scorching 35 degrees Celsius, the temperature brought its own sting to this gruelling event.

The surface in Jordan presented enormous challenges for the crews, being quite unlike that experienced anywhere else on the WRC calendar. The road surface is as hard as asphalt, but its grip characteristics are much more akin to a gravel rally and vary within each stage. Crews struggled for grip using the Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres on such a hard surface, and tyre wear, exacerbated by the heat, was remarkably high.

“We have seen today that Jordan is a worthy addition to the WRC calendar” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “Petter’s retirement is very disappointing, especially given his form in the opening stages, but we must now aim to salvage Manufacturers’ points in the next two days. Chris again demonstrated his maturity with a measured drive and this has been rewarded with a strong fifth place to take into tomorrow.”

Atkinson and Prévot had a consistent day on an event that neither of them had any experience of before Tuesday’s reconnaissance, just three days ago. Having made some changes during the midday service, Atkinson was 12 seconds faster on the opening stage of the afternoon before easing his pace towards the end of the day to bring his Impreza WRC2007 to the finish in fifth overall after a day of unknown, unpredictable and unforgiving conditions.

“Fifth overall is good from today – it’s in line with our target for this event, and I think we have set a realistic pace this weekend” said Chris Atkinson. “We’ve not been taking any risks as the grip today has just been so tricky it would have been easy to make a mistake and throw it off. We had a couple of moments; a spin and we slid off the road, but fortunately there was no major damage. We have made some changes to the car today which made steps in the right direction, but there is still more to come for tomorrow. The heat was really ok today for us, no problems, but it’s taking a while to get used to the surface which is so different to anything else.”

Road cleaning was a factor as the front-runners struggled with the initially loose layer of sand and gravel that covered the roads. Whilst it improved as more cars passed, it remained more slippery than many expected, and large rocks were dragged onto the route by passing cars in time for the repeat passes. The combination of badly-placed rocks and heat proved costly for the SWRT duo of Solberg and Mills.

Solberg’s experience gained from his recce here last year paid off initially as he and Mills, also a veteran of the region, recorded the joint fastest first stage time to share the early rally lead. After some testing stages including an off-road excursion on stage five to avoid a large rock over an unsighted crest, stage six brought huge disappointment. The duo suffered broken front suspension and, although they managed to finish the speed test, were forced to retire at the finish. The team will work on the Impreza WRC2007 during the evening and re-enter it tomorrow under SupeRally regulations, taking a time penalty that drops them over 16 minutes behind the leaders.

“This morning was good, but then it is so, so disappointing for me and the team to have this problem and to have retired on the first day” said Petter Solberg. “Into stage six I hit a small rock on the inside round a left hand corner, and after that the front suspension dampers just broke. Oil came on the screen, and a bit caught fire under the bonnet. We were lucky to put it out before any real damage, but I came here feeling good and looking for a good result. We had the pace notes and things were looking pretty good, but that’s just how it is. We just need to keep going and see what happens in the next two days.”

Today’s competition consisted of four stages each run twice, the longest (SS2/6) being 20 kilometres. Competitors travelled north of the Dead Sea service park for two loops of stages amid the barren and parched desert landscape, passing the famous biblical site of Mount Nebo.

For the first time in the history of the World Rally Championship, crews will travel to the Middle East for the fifth event of the 2008 season. The debutant Rally Jordan is set to be a gruelling challenge of hard-base sandy roads that sprawl through the region’s desert plains from the rally base alongside the Dead Sea.

Located just below the northern Jordan city of Amman, Rally HQ and the service park promise a spectacular welcome for crews. Based on the banks of the Dead Sea, it is the lowest point on earth at 408 metres below sea level. Most of the rally is run below sea level, making for a stark contrast to the altitude of the last two events in Mexico and Argentina. The roads that wind through the Jordan Valley reach as low as 400 metres below sea level, and the only altitude section in the Rumman forests rises to just over 1000 metres, past the biblical site of Mount Nebo.

The rally comprises 21 stages and 351 competitive kilometres of hard-packed sandy roads on which crews will use Pirelli’s hard compound Scorpion gravel tyre. The normally loose surface has been bonded and hard-packed over the last two years to create the rally’s stage route and provide crews with a very hard surface on which to compete. Whilst the first few cars to run will inevitably experience a loose covering of sand, surface deterioration shouldn’t be an issue, even as temperatures reach towards 40 degrees Celsius.

It does mean however that if crews run off line the surface will be far looser and grip reduced significantly. Whilst there is a lot of run-off in the barren desert landscape which may give crews the confidence to push harder in the knowledge there is more chance that mistakes will go relatively unpunished, off-road excursions may still prove costly with soft sand and interspersed rocky outcrops. The stages offer their own unique challenges in accurately judging distances and defining the roads amid the vast expanse of desert.

Just two weeks after Rally Jordan, crews will commence a flurry of European events with three rallies in five weeks, the hardest stint of the season. Jordan will be a crucial event for teams in setting the tone of their performance in this mid-year period, and so everyone will be looking to step their performance and consistency up a gear. Those who are strong in Jordan will carry more momentum into the European events.

The event starts with a ceremonial start on Thursday evening, and finishes at the King Hussein Bin Talal convention centre on the banks of the Dead Sea, shortly followed by a finish podium set against the spectacular backdrop of the body of water famed for being the most buoyant in the world due to its exceptionally high salt content. Twenty two stages take crews through 360 kilometres of competition.

Jordan is a barren landscape that, at less than half the size of Great Britain, is more than 80 per cent arid. It lies just east of the Mediterranean Sea, sandwiched between Israel, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team have entered two Impreza WRC2007s for Rally Jordan. Petter Solberg / Phil Mills will drive car number five and Chris Atkinson / Stéphane Prévot will be in car number six. Petter and Phil conducted a recce of 18 of the stages in May last year, and it was on the Rally of Jordan in 1994 that Phil Mills scored his first international rallying win with Middle East champion Mohammed Bin Sulayem.

Team quotes
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal: “I have been very closely linked with motorsport in the Middle East since 1976 when I was first involved in organising the early rallies in the Gulf and then working with Saeed Al-Hajri who won the Middle East Rally Championship on three occasions for Prodrive. I built so many great friendships in the region and very much look forward to meeting everybody again in Jordan.

“It has been a long-held dream of mine that the World Rally Championship would finally come to the Middle East and I am particularly pleased that it is doing so in Jordan. It will be a totally different experience for the WRC teams but I am sure that with the support of Prince Feisal it will be extremely well organised and we can expect a wonderful Arabic welcome to the region.”

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: “Jordan is a new event so no drivers in the WRC have competitive experience of it which could prove to be a bit of a leveller amongst the younger drivers. Temperature will be a factor here as it’ll be the hottest round of the season so far so everyone will have an eye on cooling and brake temperature. The route is quite twisty but because of the way they have bonded the stages together there is a lot of grip on what would seem to be very loose surface. It’s a new event but we’ve done all our research: two years ago we studied the nature of the stages and, with a ban on testing there since, obtained the knowledge we will use now to develop a base setup for the event. Consistency here is key to carrying momentum into the following batch of three European events.”

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: “I did the recce in Jordan last year and I was very happy to have the chance to look at the roads. It will be a new event for everyone so we are doing all we can now, using the notes from the recce to prepare as best we can and try and be in the best shape for the rally. It may be possible to do the rally well with new pace notes and no experience of the roads, but I’m just trying to do things 110 per cent, and if the recce gives us even a slight advantage, it was worth it. It’s a brand new event but we have the same mentality and approach to it as any other event, as we continue in the way that works best for us. The unseen roads are quite tricky, and there are a lot of crests. It’s quite wide, but it’s a little difficult to read the road surface and know just how much to push.”

Chris Atkinson: “I haven’t been to Jordan and don’t really know what to expect. I’ve heard the roads are in quite good condition, but it’s going to be difficult first time there having not done the recce last year. It’s very interesting to go to a country like that anyway as an experience, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m going out a few days earlier to look around and see Petra, as it’s not every day we’ll come here. The fact that no-one has competed here before may even things up a little, but we know that the same guys will always be fast anywhere. At this part of the season it’s all about linking events to build momentum for the next few rounds.”

Between the rallies
After Rally Argentina, Stéphane Prévot flew straight home to his family to take his daughter on a long-promised trip to Disneyland Paris, amid his preparations for Jordan. Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson and Phil Mills travelled to Cordoba for a two day shooting break, along with P-WRC Subaru competitor and multiple Asian shooting champion Nasser Al-Attiyah.

As the pace of the calendar rises, Solberg and Atkinson have been increasing their exercise programmes and training to improve their fitness in time for May and the toughest part of the season. Improved fitness will also help them with the extreme in-car temperatures of Jordan, Greece and Turkey.

Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot finished Rally Argentina in second position overall, making it three out of four podiums from the 2008 season. Team-mates Petter Solberg and Phil Mills were however dealt a cruel blow, being forced into retirement from second position with only two stages to go after complete electrical failure.

Following a fantastic performance that saw them climb to second position overall on Saturday’s stages, Solberg and Mills suffered the cruellest of fates as their Impreza WRC2007 rolled to a stop midway through the first stage of the morning as they lost all electrical power. The duo were denied what would have been their best result since Rally Portugal last year.

“I am desperately disappointed for Petter and Phil” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “Petter is showing such renewed enthusiasm since we’ve got the car more to his liking, and despite this setback I’m feeling increasingly confident for the rest of the season. In Chris’ case, his maturity in these extraordinarily tough conditions has delivered him yet another excellent result.”

Solberg and Mills attempted roadside repairs to their stricken car but were unable to locate the source of the problem and rectify it within the time they had available, exceeding the stage time limit despite their best efforts. The crestfallen duo were unable to complete the final day of a rally on which they demonstrated a reinvigorated level of performance.

In the ensuing reshuffle of the overall standings, Atkinson and Prévot were promoted to second position overall. Fully aware of the hazards posed by the trickiest of the rally’s stages, the duo continued their measured and mature drive to bring their Impreza home on the middle step of the podium. The result means that Atkinson has had his best ever start to a WRC season, scoring an impressive three podium finishes from the first four events of the year.

“It’s been such a hard weekend it’s more of a relief to finish!” said Chris Atkinson. “Another podium is fantastic for us and for the team, there’s nothing that motivates the guys more than a great result at the end of all the hard work. The feeling in the car was just so much more consistent this weekend and it was easier to drive so I was able to push without making any big mistakes. It’s clear we’ve taken some good steps forward with the car this year and it’s sort of a surprise for me to be third in the championship at the moment. It’s a real shame about Petter as he was going very well and we should have had two cars on the podium, but it demonstrates that we’re definitely moving in the right direction.”

Atkinson’s second place in Argentina moves him into third overall in the Drivers’ Championship, just three points behind second-placed Hirvonen (Ford). The Subaru World Rally Team emerge from South America in third position overall in the Manufacturers’ Championship, but as a result of the electrical problems lost a potential eight points that would have put them within just three of the lead.

The final day of competition provided a short but sharp sting in the tail to this gruelling event. Crews tackled only two full-length stages and a third and final running of the short spectator stage in the ground of the Cordoba Stadium that has proved so popular with fans this weekend. The day’s competitive distance was less than a third of that on Friday and Saturday at just over 40 kilometres.

A combination of high altitude and stages that rose steeply as they twisted and snaked their way up and back down the El Condor mountain, today’s tests were the hardest of the rally. Whilst engines struggled for power in the thin air, an equally treacherous layer of mud on the roads made the level of grip even more unpredictable and challenging.

Next event
The next challenge in the World Rally Championship lies in the Middle East. Rally Jordan is a brand new event for all teams, this being the first year in which Jordan has hosted a WRC event. Set on the banks of the Dead Sea, almost all of the hard-packed sandy routes run below sea level, to a lowest point of 408m below. Temperatures are expected to be upwards 35 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest rally to date this season, and much more suited to Pirelli’s hard compound gravel tyre. The rally consists of 21 stages totalling 351 competitive kilometres, and will bring a new challenge to crews as they will battle with the difficulty of judging distances in the vast expanses of desert they will encounter.

Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot completed Rally Mexico in spectacular style, recording their highest ever finish together in a World Rally Championship event with a hard-fought second place. Meanwhile Petter Solberg and Phil Mills pushed hard to clinch the final Manufacturers’ Championship point, keeping the Subaru World Rally Team in second position in the overall standings.

Atkinson’s second podium in three rallies this season jumps him to fourth overall in the Drivers’ Championship, just six points shy of the top of the standings. It’s his best start to a WRC season, and firmly establishes the Australian as a contender for WRC victories. Solberg and Mills lie just behind in fifth in the Championship standings, as the team continue their strong start to 2008 with more solid points.

On a day when the avid local fans were out in force to support the late inclusion of this event into the WRc calendar, spectator numbers overwhelmed stage 18, the 22 kilometre Guanajuato test, and the decision was taken to abandon it. The longest of the day, its cancellation reduced the day’s competitive length by one third.

“Chris did a fantastic job and I firmly believe he can win an event before the end of the year” said Subaru World Rally Team Principal David Richards. “We’ve had a very encouraging start to the year and we’re putting ourselves in a very strong position for when we launch our new car, the WRC2008. Petter did a good job today, and from our performance here in Mexico it is clear to me that we have made some positive steps forward since Sweden, and will continue to do so as we look to Argentina in a few weeks time.”

Atkinson started the final day in second position with a comfortable buffer of over one minute behind him to third. As the Australian promised yesterday, he had a steady day to ensure he did enough to clinch his highest ever WRC finish without taking any unnecessary risks. Opting for two spare wheels as an added safety buffer along the rough and jagged gravel speed tests, the 28 year old was leaving nothing to chance, knowing how easy it is to fall foul of these conditions.

Despite the punishing routes, soaring temperatures and oxygen-thin air over the last three days, his Impreza WRC2007 suffered no significant problems. The Australian felt comfortable with the handling and balance of his car all weekend, and drove a solid rally to be awarded eight points for both himself and the team, the single largest haul of his World Rallying career.

“It’s a fantastic result, my best in the WRC!” said Chris Atkinson. “All the team, the guys on my car, Subaru all did a top job. It was good fun to beat Sebastien [Loeb] on the Superspecial at the end there! It’s a great start to the year for me and also for the team, and I hope we can keep building on this. We’re making good steps forward and the car felt really good this weekend. We did some work on the dampers after Sweden and that was a big help – they were good here in the heat which is always a tough test. Now we look to Argentina and to keep this performance going. The sooner I can win the better!”

Solberg and Mills restarted this morning under Superally regulations, and left the morning’s service fighting fit. On the day’s opening stage and with a car the team worked on fervently yesterday afternoon, Solberg felt happy with the balance of his Impreza WRC2007 and was able to push hard to post the second fastest stage time, almost three seconds clear of the rest of field.

Over the final day’s 38 kilometres of stages, Solberg and Mills fought hard to climb to 12th overall, displaying their characteristic grit and determination to the very end to keep the team in second position in the Manufacturers’ Championship and keep himself close enough to fight for a top spot in the Drivers’ Championship as the season develops.

“Today we were ok in the first stage, but with big gaps between everyone at the front people were backing off” said Petter Solberg. “We scored a Manufacturer point which is important, but other than that it’s been a frustrating weekend really. But we keep working and pushing, and Argentina will be better.”

The third day of Rally Mexico brought more of the weather crews had come to expect. Temperatures rose to 28 degrees Celsius by midday, and the dry roads yielded clouds of dust with every passing car. The modified route consisted of just three stages, ended with the final running of the immensely popular Nextel spectator Superspecial stage.

In a turbulent day of competition on Rally Mexico, Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot grabbed second position overall aboard their Subaru Impreza WRC2007. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills however fell foul of the conditions and were forced to retire mid-way through the morning’s stages.

Atkinson and Solberg started the day in third and fourth positions respectively. Today’s routes provided no respite from the rigours crews faced yesterday, and the rocky and punishing mountain roads claimed their victims amongst the front-runners, as did the combination of heat and altitude on this notoriously harsh rally.

“Today we have had mixed fortunes in very challenging conditions” said Subaru World Rally Team Principal David Richards. “Unfortunately Petter’s car suffered a transmission failure that forced his retirement from a strong fourth position, but Chris has done a very good job to put himself on target for his highest WRC finish.”

Atkinson and Prevot had a consistent morning, not taking any unnecessary risks to keep in touch with the leading duo. The gap behind them grew with the early retirement of teammate Solberg, followed in the afternoon by Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen who lost three minutes with a puncture after going off the road. Settled in a comfortable third, the afternoon’s stages proceeded to reshape the leading trio.

Atkinson was promoted to second overall, ahead of Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala when the Finn suffered engine problems in stage 13, and extended his gap to a comfortable 1m 05seconds over third place going into the final day of the third round of the World Rally Championship.

“We were settled for third this morning and I was just focussed on matching Jari-Matti’s pace” said Chris Atkinson. “Now we find ourselves in second which is good for the team and Subaru. It’s a shame for Jari, but we’ve had our problems and that’s the way it is. We have a little bit of a gap each way but the plan doesn’t change. We’ll not take any silly risks and just focus on matching the gaps to Sebastien and Jari tomorrow. We had a few small problems this afternoon with starts and lost a few seconds. The gap is comfortable but it won’t be easy tomorrow. It’ll be tricky and very loose, and we’ll still need to push.”

Solberg’s day started strongly, the Norwegian matching the leaders for pace in the first section of the opening stage and retaining his fourth position overall. Fifth placed Mikko Hirvonen had reduced the gap by a few seconds by the start of stage eleven and it appeared a great battle for fourth would ensue.

Three-quarters of the way through the stage however, Solberg and Mills experienced a loss of drive to the front left wheel and lost over four minutes as they limped through the remainder of the route, conceding the position. The duo stopped at the end of the stage to examine the problem and attempt a fix to enable them to cover the remaining 53 kilometres back to the midday service. It proved however to be a problem that was not possible to rectify at the roadside, and the only course of action was to retire them from the day and transport the car back to service.

Once back in the team’s service area the crew descended upon the number five Impreza, fixing the car to allow Solberg and Mills to restart tomorrow’s stages under Superally regulations. They will carry a 30 minute penalty for the stages missed today but will still be eligible to score Manufacturers’ Championship points.

“Today was not good for us” said Petter Solberg. “I didn’t feel comfortable with the car this morning on the loose surface, and then we had the drive problem which forced us to retire. It’s so frustrating when we had the speed early on in this event but we are now so far back.”

Today’s route stretched 341.02 kilometres, 157.32 of which were competitive speed tests. Following the same format as yesterday, crews tackled three stages before the midday service, after which they made second passes of the same three. The day was similarly brought to a close with two back-to-back passes of the Nextel spectator Superspecial stage, in the last running of which Atkinson was joint-fastest with rally-leader Sebastien Loeb.

Similar to yesterday’s mountain passes, today’s stages were all at altitude. The highest test was the first of the day, the 29.9 kilometre Ibarrilla which peaked at an oxygen-thin 2600 metres above sea level.