ROUND 6 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP  27 - 30 April 2006

Leaderboard after leg one:

1.  S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 1hr 53min 58.7sec
2.  P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza  1hr 54min 18.5sec
3.  G Galli/G Bernacchini I Peugeot 307 1hr 54min 58.1sec
4.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 1hr 55min 10.8sec
5.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 1hr 55min 30.5sec
6.  D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 1hr 56min 13.8sec
7.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza  1hr 56min 28.1sec
8.  M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS 1hr 58min 07.4sec
9.  L Perez Companc/J-M Volta ARG Ford Focus RS 1hr 58min 44.8sec
10 G MacHale/P Nagle IRL Ford Focus RS 2hr 01min 05.9sec

Leg One News

Championship leader Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) spun and stalled his car's engine on this morning's opening stage.  However, the Frenchman inherited the lead when Grönholm retired and ended the leg 19.8sec ahead of Petter Solberg (Subaru), having set four fastest times.  The Norwegian took the lead on this morning's opening stage but then hit a gate post early in stage four which broke co-driver Phil Mills' window.  They also incurred a 10 second penalty for arriving late at a time control when their car fell off its jack while they were changing tyres before stage nine.  Gigi Galli (Peugeot) lies third after a troublefree day on only his second rally in the car.  Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) celebrated his 100th WRC start with fastest time on the final stage to hold fourth ahead of team-mate Henning Solberg, who survived tyre troubles, a broken differential and a small off this morning.  Another major retirement was Xavi Pons (Citroen) who stopped with an oil leak after hitting a rock early in stage six and his car briefly caught fire.  He will restart tomorrow.


1. Kronos Total Citroen

At the end of a gruelling first leg, which comprised almost half the competitive distance of the rally, Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Kronos-run Citroen Xsara WRC returned to the Feriar Complex in Cordoba leading the event. Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were sixth overnight, having predictably climbed a steep learning curve. Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio were forced into retirement halfway through the day following a small 'off'. They will re-start tomorrow under the super rally regulations. Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: « On the last stage of the day, I really thought for a moment that I was going to lose my lead. The first few kilometres were really sandy : there was no grip and I made a series of mistakes. I hit the side of the road about three times and I nearly spun twice. I really had to calm things down then. It's on stretches of road like that where you realise how much work the active differentials used to do. Tomorrow is going to be almost as long as today and the stages are going to be just as varied. We're going to have a lot of fun, although our plan is still to attack. Marcus is no longer in the running, but there's always Petter.

Xavier Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: 'Cabalango/Carlos Paz' (SS6) was an unlucky one for Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio. The Spaniards slid wide on a corner and damaged the left-rear wheel. They tried to drive slowly to the end of the stage, but the impact had consequences for the transmission and fuel system - causing a small fire that was rapidly extinguished by the crew. Xevi and Carlos will re-start tomorrow with a 25-minute penalty (five per stage missed) under the super rally regulations.

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

News unavailable at time of going to press.

3. BP-Ford

BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen led Rally Argentina for much of today's opening leg until problems halted their Focus RS World Rally Car this afternoon.  The Finns won two speed tests to build an advantage on this sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship but their hopes of a third win of the season were dashed.  Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen were third in a similar Focus RS when engine troubles brought their day to a premature end.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "About 8km after the start of the stage I came into a corner and the car stalled.  I restarted the engine but could not select any gears.  I locked the differentials and covered another 300 metres but then we came to another tight corner and that was it.  I don't know what the problem was but obviously I'm really disappointed to retire when things were going so well,"

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:

"About 1km after the finish, on the liaison section, the engine dropped onto three cylinders. We stopped to change the spark plugs but that didn't cure the problem.  We continued a little further and stopped again to change the electronic control unit.  That didn't work either.  So with two stages left before service, we decided to stop so that we didn't damage the engine further and the team could examine it to see if we can start tomorrow under SupeRally."

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team ended the first leg of Rally Argentina with both cars inside the overall top ten despite the tough and gruelling nature of the dusty rock strewn stages around Cordoba in central Argentina, with 19 year-old British driver Matthew Wilson 37 seconds ahead of team-mate and local favourite, Luis Perez Companc.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr:

"I think we had four punctures this morning. It was the second stage which really hurt us. Near the start there was a rock just over a crest. That gave us the first puncture, but the tyre stayed up. Then, half way through the stage, there was a massive rock in the line and I just hit it. That punctured the front and the rear so we had to swap things around. A tyre then went down on the road section, so we had to put a flat one back on, so on the last stage this morning with four punctures and no
spare we were very careful. We were lucky with the jump, jeez it was close. We had 'crest, jump, right' but we took off and landed with half the car off the road and there was a massive rock sticking out of the grass and it hit the sill. We were lucky. The last stage of the day was very difficult, it felt like we had a broken anti roll bar but it just goes to show what you can do if you try and be neat and tidy, it certainly worked for us. Today was a real challenge, it's the longest day in rallying I've ever done, it feels like I've driven to the moon and back. It's a real achievement to be here."

Luis Perez Companc/ J-M Volta: "The stages are very rough. The third stage was very twisty, with a lot of rocks, but it was no problem we just had to take it slowly and take care. Eight stages today and the car is in one piece, it's as strong as a tank. There's a lot of people cheering me on, and I'm grateful to them because it is good to see them, I'm very happy. The stadium start was incredible, there was a lot of people and it made it nervous for me. We wanted to finish the Leg today and as we've finished the leg we're in a good position. It's incredible, the people are everywhere, I have to give them a spectacle."

5. 555 Subaru

Petter Solberg holds second place overall at the end of Leg one of Rally Argentina. Solberg was fastest on three of the Leg's nine stages and will start tomorrow's second day of competition less than 20 seconds behind rally leader Sebastien Loeb. On only his second Rally Argentina, Chris Atkinson lies in seventh place.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "It's been a very interesting day, a lot has happened to us, but it's good fun fighting at the top and winning stages, that's where we belong. The gap between me and Sebastien is less than 20 seconds now - of course it's hard not to imagine where I could have been without losing time here and there today, but that's the game and we have two days still to come. I'm feeling very good about things and am really looking forward to tomorrow."

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It's been a tough day. We started out well and set a couple of top three times, but struggled this afternoon. The surface was very rutted and the handling of the car has seemed inconsistent - especially on the last stage - because of this we've had to be quite cautious and have lost time. But we'll keep pushing as hard as we can and hopefully move up some places."

Unofficial Standings after Leg 2

1 LOEB (Citroen) 03:31:03.6
2 P SOLBERG (Subaru) +43.1
3 GALLI (Peugeot) +02:36.4
4 H SOLBERG (Peugeot) +03:36.8
5 STOHL (Peugeot) +03:41.1
6 ATKINSON (Subaru) +04:22.7
7 SORDO (Citroen) +05:04.0
8 PEREZ COMPANC (Ford) +09:26.6
9 WILSON (Ford) +09:37.5
10 GRÖNHOLM (Ford) +14:20.8

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Unofficial Leg 2 News

Kronos Citroen

After a controlled and entirely trouble-free day aboard their Kronos-run Citroen Xsara WRC, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena emerged from the final stage of leg two – Santa Rosa de Calamuchita/San Agustin (SS18) – in the lead.

Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were equally flawless throughout a tricky second leg to maintain sixth. Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio, competing under the super rally regulations, had the satisfaction of winning Ascochinga/La Cumbre (SS13). It was the Spaniard's first ever fastest time on the World Rally Championship. Today's competitive action, comprising 150 kilometres of stages, was almost as long as yesterday's opening leg.

The route was a tricky proposition, taking in the well-known stages of the Calamuchita valley that are simultaneously rapid yet bumpy. Road conditions were made even more difficult by the morning's weather. Heavy rain had fallen in the Punilla valley, which contained the first four stages, and two of them even got underway in thick fog.

The Kronos team, ably backed up by BFGoodrich's engineers, had fortunately sent out its three Xsaras on soft tyres – which proved to be a judicious choice. Sébastien Loeb started the day with 20 seconds in hand over his nearest rival, Petter Solberg. The reigning World Champion made fast but careful progress through the mud and mist to end up with a lead of nearly a minute after Cabalango/Carlos Paz (SS14), just before midday service. On the rollercoaster
ride of the afternoon stages, Seb sensibly maintained his advantage. 

Sebastien Loeb: The Citroen driver currently leads by 43 seconds heading into tomorrow's 41 competitive kilometres. "It wasn't an easy day, what with all the jumps and high-speed water splashes" he said. "I've managed to build up a bit of lead and my aim is to keep it throughout tomorrow's short leg. There's a sting in the tail of this rally though : two very rough and narrow stages, where above all I've got to steer clear of trouble."

Xevi Pons: First on the road today was Xevi Pons, disappointed yesterday after the ‘off' that forced him to retire from the opening leg. He said: "This morning's stages in the damp were not bad at all. I got my confidence back in La Falda (SS11). In La Cumbre – which we didn't get the chance to drive yesterday – I was nonetheless second-fastest. The on the following stage I was quickest. To manage that today was fantastic : nothing could have done more for my confidence. So that was good. The afternoon was more difficult though. The weather stayed dry, which meant that I was sweeping all the loose gravel. This will be the case again tomorrow, but I'm delighted to be driving again in front of such an enthusiastic Argentine public."

Dani Sordo: Had already said that Argentina would be a case of back to school again, so the asphalt high-flyer duly became a diligent student of gravel. Dani
reported: "Today's conditions were really difficult for somebody like me who is new to gravel, with mud, slippery stages and fog in the morning. But I really liked the fast stages in the afternoon with all those high-speed jumps. I spun on my first run through ‘Santa Rosa', but I felt a bit more comfortable on the second run. I've still got a lot to learn though, especially on Mina Clavero and El Condor tomorrow."

Subaru

Petter Solberg again demonstrated the Impreza WRC2006’s competitive pace on gravel. The Norwegian set two fastest stage times to consolidate his second place overall. With 41km remaining on Sunday’s final day of competition, Petter is 43secs behind event leader Sébastien Loeb. Chris Atkinson drove consistently throughout the Leg and moved up one place to sixth overall. Atkinson later dropped back to seventh position when Stewards’ applied a one minute penalty for speeding in the service area.

SWRT sporting director, Luis Moya
Of course I’m a little disappointed because we came here for the victory and it now looks like that target will be difficult to achieve. But, on the other hand, we should be pleased with the performance of our cars today. Mechanically, both have been very reliable ever since we started the rally. Petter has set some very good times, as well as the stage wins on SS16 and SS17 and Chris has also improved his pace.

Petter Solberg:
In fact it’s been quite a good day, even though it didn’t get off to a great start. First we made a bad tyre choice and that cost us a lot of time, and then I reckon we lost another six or seven seconds when the gear lever broke. But this afternoon was actually good and overall I’m pretty happy - we won two stages and our pace is better than the people behind. It was nice to share the stage win with Henning too - I don’t think two brothers have ever done that before - I heard my mother and father were very happy! Tomorrow the stages are difficult, I know there are lot of bad rocks and anything can happen. The rally isn’t over yet – we all have to do those stages first.

Chris Atkinson:
Driving 100km back to service on three tyres was quite a dramatic way to end the day, but on the whole it’s been okay. We ran at a consistent pace, moved up a place on the leader board and have done the best we can. I haven’t been able to get the car set up exactly as I’d have liked but I’ve adapted my driving to suit and hope to be able to get a points finish tomorrow - that’s the plan.

OMV Peugeot Norway

Even though the OMV Team chose the wrong tyres on the recommendation of the tyre manufacturer they still were able to defend their top positions four and five.
They only exchanged positions within the OMV Team so that Henning Solberg (Nor) finished leg two in fourth place. But Manfred Stohl (Aut) is only 3,7 seconds behind. Usually a premiere at an event of the FIA World Rally Championship isn't a thing to take lightly. But Henning Solberg didn't show fear prior to his first start in Argentina. He knew that the characteristics of the special stages would suit him. Therefore, after two days and fourth intermediate place, the Norwegian OMV driver isn't really surprised by the intermediate result but rather happy.

Henning Solberg:

"Except for some minor problems everything went great so far. Which is, of course, also due to the background of a perfectly prepared car by Bozian Racing. And the Peugeot 307 WRC has always performed very well here in Argentina. I'll do my all to defend this place."

Saturday morning turned Manfred Stohl into a blade runner. Due to the wrong choice of tyres the Peugeot 307 WRC became nearly unsteerable on the muddy surface. Almost inevitable consequence were two spins which cost Stohl a lot of time, fourth place and the chance for the podium.  For after the first SS of the day the 33-year-old OMV driver had been only four seconds behind Gigi Galli (Ita/Peugeot 307 WRC) in third place. In the afternoon things went better and Stohl caught up until he was only 3,7 seconds behind OMV Teammate Henning Solberg.

Stohl:

"It's going to be a hot fight on Sunday. I'll definitely do my best to get past Henning. And who can say what will happen at the top? The two special stages, El Condor and Mina Clavero are among the toughest in the rally WRC. My experience should do me some good there."

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team

The team provided the dice of the day for the multitudes of fans on the stages around the central Argentinean town of Cordoba as team-mates Matthew Wilson and Luis Perez Companc battled for eighth spot in the overall standings in the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Argentina.

19 year-old Matthew Wilson had the early advantage from the first leg of running on Friday and started the day 37 seconds ahead of Companc, but Saturday morning provided a surprise for the young British rally driver as the first stages of the day were enveloped by a thick fog compounding an already difficult job on the treacherous rock-rich route.

Wilson relied on the notes read by co-driver Michael Orr and the duo fought their way to the midday service stop after the morning's 70km of competitive distance. It was not just the fog which presented a challenge either. A corner which had already claimed the tyres of two-time WRC champion and fellow M-Sport run Ford driver Marcos Gronholm also caught out Wilson's Ford Focus RS WRC 05 and the car slid wide and on to the large rocks lining the route. The car sustained panel damage, although not to a serious degree, but the incident, allied the superior experience of Companc, meant the gap between the two was down to 4.9secs as they left the service park for the second loop.

The fast and flowing afternoon route, 80km over four stages, saw Companc close in and pass Wilson. Despite Companc's greater experience in his home event, Wilson didn't make life easy for the Argentinean, although the Brit was careful not to become too preoccupied with the position and risk pushing too hard.  By the end of SS16 the gap was down to just half a second and on the next stage Companc had passed his younger team-mate for eighth and the championship point it brings with it.

Saturday ended with Wilson just 10.9secs behind Companc with none other than Marcus Gronholm 4mins 43secs next down the order, the Finn running with 15 minutes of penalties for not completing Friday's stages.

The final day of Rally Argentina sees 41km over four stages, with the El Condor stage challenging competitors in the morning before two Super Specials in front of an expected crowd of over 40,000 in the Estadio Cordoba.

Matthew Wilson:

"The stages we did this afternoon were classic stages that have been in the Argentinean championship and the experience of Luis showed there. He didn't take a massive chunk on any one stage, but he did enough to get ahead of us and he picked up his pace to do that. On Sunday if the notes work right and we're driving nice and neat and tidy we should be alright but today was just so fast. You've got to have the commitment over the blind crests and braking into the slow stuff. I'm reasonably happy, we had just a few stupid mistakes in the fog this morning. We had an overshoot which probably cost us the most time then in the last stage today the grip was a lot better but I didn't exploit that enough. We're here, still in the rally, and that's the main thing and we're fit for tomorrow."

Luis Perez Companc:

"It's been a very good day, a very good leg. I'm very happy that I could finally get to the eighth position and get some points. It was very nice having a good fight with Matthew. I was pushing very hard in the four stages this afternoon, I thought I would make a bigger difference from Matthew but he also was pushing hard so the difference between us was very small, but finally I got past him. Tomorrow we hope to keep the place and keep the car in one piece to the end of the rally."

Unofficial Final Standings

1.  S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 4hr 06min 51.3sec
2.  P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza  4hr 07min 35.9sec
3.  G Galli/G Bernacchini I Peugeot 307 4hr 10min 15.6sec
4.  M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 4hr 10min 31.3sec
5.  D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 4hr 12min 31.5sec
6.  C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza 4hr 12min 35.1sec
7.  H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 4hr 16min 20.0sec
8.  M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS 4hr 17min 25.9sec
9.  L Perez Companc/J-M Volta ARG Ford Focus RS 4hr 17min 43.6sec
10 M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 21min 00.0sec
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Unofficial Final Leg News

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) claimed his fourth consecutive victory to widen his championship lead to 21 points.  The Frenchman cruised through the final day to head Petter Solberg (Subaru) by 44.6sec.  The Norwegian was penalised 10 seconds on the penultimate stage for a jump start.  Gigi Galli (Peugeot) secured his first WRC podium on only his second rally in the car.  Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) overtook team-mate Henning Solberg on the opening stage this morning to ensure fourth and a happy birthday for Austrian co-driver Ilka Minor.  However, with fifth secure, Solberg stopped on the final stage in Córdoba stadium with a broken clutch and dropped to seventh.  Chris Atkinson (Subaru) was handed a 60 second penalty last night for speeding in the service park, which dropped him to seventh.  He closed the gap to Dani Sordo (Citroen) to just 1.1sec before the final super special stages but the Spaniard held on to take fifth following Solberg's troubles.

1. Kronos Total Citroen

Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena leave Cordoba with 10 championship points as reward for their second consecutive victory on the Rally Argentina. This success, their second gravel win of the year after Mexico, is also the fourth of the year for the Franco-Monegasque pairing - who now take their total of career victories up to 24. Sebastien currently has an equal number of wins to Tommi Mäkinen, and is now headed only by Colin McRae (on 25 wins) and Carlos Sainz (on 26). Daniel Elena equals the record number of wins for a co-driver.

Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "Everything about this rally is breathtaking. The scenery, the high-speed water splashes and above all the fantastic welcome we get from the Argentine fans, who give us the best reception in the world. My Citroen was as reliable, fast and consistent as usual. That was just as well, because this rally was particularly difficult this year - mostly down to the weather. We had a good fight with Marcus [Grönholm] on the first day and that continued with Petter [Solberg] yesterday. For all those reasons, winning here is a special pleasure for me. As well as that, myself and Daniel extend our lead in the drivers championship while Kronos does the same in the constructors standings. As I still think we'll have a tight battle on our hands this year, that's no bad thing."

Xavier Pons/Carlos Del Barrio: "One of my objectives is to gain confidence. There's nothing better than setting fastest times to help that along. Seb has proved that the Xsara has nothing to fear from any of its rivals. With some experience and hard work, I need to make more and more use of the car's potential. My goal is to help Kronos defend its position at the head of the manufacturers' championship. »

2. OMV-Peugeot Norway

The Rally Argentina was further proof that Manfred Stohl belongs among the top performers in rallying. The 33-year-old OMV driver only missed the podium by an inch at his 100th WRC start and finished in excellent fourth place. He currently shares fourth place in the World Championship with Petter Solberg (No/Subaru). Henning Solberg had lots of bad luck. The Norwegian OMV driver fell back from fifth to seventh place on the last super stage since the clutch of the Peugeot WRC 307 stopped working right in the middle of the stadium-stage. The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team and Team Manager Jackie Bozian are nevertheless happy about having scored ten points in the manufacturer WRC.

Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "It was my present to Ilka, who is celebrating her birthday today. Unfortunately we were not able to quite catch up with Galli. But making good almost 45 seconds on two special stages gives me a lot of self-confidence. We are very satisfied and feel invigorated for the next two gravel-rallies in Sardinia and Greece. I believe that we might be able to reach the podium then."

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud:  "That is part of the game. It can happen anytime. Of course, it is a bitter pill when you're so close to the finish. There is still a positive side to it for now we are seventh and know that we were actually much faster. It would have been much worse had we reached this place because we simply weren't able to attack anymore. Therefore I really mustn't be dissatisfied.

3. BP-Ford

Ford extended its record-breaking run of points finishes in the FIA World Rally Championship to 66 when Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen finished 10th on Rally Argentina today.  The Finns recovered from first-day transmission troubles while leading to climb back onto the leaderboard and claim a manufacturer point to extend the longest scoring run in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "The time loss on Friday was a shame and left us struggling for a result. Tenth gave the team a point but it obviously wasn't what I wanted and I'm disappointed.  I had hoped for more. At least I was able to come back and set several fastest times over the second and third legs and show again that the car has plenty of pace.  The rally wasn't hard on tyres, despite the long sections with no opportunity to fit new rubber, and our engineers and those from BFGoodrich made some good choices. The stage in the soccer stadium was a spectacular show.  As a driver, it's great to perform in front of so many people in such a great atmosphere."

Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:Retired (Engine)

4. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team driver Matthew Wilson has scored his first ever FIA World Rally Championship point, taking an eighth place finish in Rally Argentina on the same day as setting his first fastest WRC stage time. Wilson, at 19, is believed to be the youngest driver to take a driver point in the WRC and also to set a fastest stage time. Sunday's final day of the rally saw two classic Argentinean stages tackled, the 20km Mina Clavero and the dramatic 17km El Condor. Wilson took the first stage cautiously then pushed harder in the second to close to three seconds adrift of his team-mate heading to the two Super Specials in the Cordoba football stadium in front of a roaring crowd of over 40,000. Companc was the first Stobart
car to tackle the 2.2km stage, going head to head with Subaru ace Chris Atkinson. As the Argentinean crowd cheered Companc's launch control did not work as it should and the Ford Focus WRC 05 stalled at on the line. With the margin so close, and the Super Special so short, Companc would not be able to recover the lost time and it handed the advantage to Wilson for his two short runs.

Matthew Wilson/Michael Orr: "It's mega, really, really good. It was a shame for Luis, it's so rare for the launch control to have a problem but the good thing for us was the stage got a lot faster as the more people who had gone over it made the grip better. It was a blooming good way to end the rally that's for sure. The grip was good, we were nice and neat and tidy and I didn't do anything silly as I knew I just had to get to the end. The crowd here is so keen on rallying that they were shouting and screaming, I've never seen anything like it. It felt so good that we'd got the point and then it came over the radio we'd done the fastest time. We're flying home straightaway so I'll be trying for an upgrade and I'll definitely be drinking some champagne."

Luis Perez Companc/ J-M Volta: "It was a very bad day! On the second stage today I went off the road and I hit very badly the car but it seemed that everything is okay but I lost a big difference with Matthew so I was only three seconds ahead going to the stadium. I thought I would make a bigger difference from Matthew on Saturday but he also was pushing hard so the difference between us was very small, but finally I got past him. In the podium I had a problem with the launch system, I couldn't get into gear and I lost too many seconds to Matthew. I lost eighth place but I'm very happy for the team, for the rally and for the people here, it's incredible how fanatical the fans are here, they love the rally."

5. 555 Subaru

Petter Solberg finished Rally Argentina in second place. Solberg set the fastest time through one of the toughest tests in the WRC, the classic El Condor pass, to secure his second podium of the season. The Subaru World Rally Team concluded a successful Rally Argentina with a double-points finish as Chris Atkinson recorded two top five times to finish sixth.

Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I wanted to win here but I think 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. 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. I'm looking forward to the next rally!"

Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It's been a difficult rally for us, it started out quite well, we were running in a high position early on, but then some problems with the car and a mistake from me cost us a lot of time. We struggled back up the order and then got a minute penalty - if it wasn't for that, I think we could have been fighting for a much better result. But that's life, we learned a lot here and we'll see what we can do in Sardinia."