Petter Solberg had been hoping to be able to battle for a place on the podium on the Rally Finland at the weekend instead though he was forced to withdraw from the event on leg 2 due to severe handling problems.
Petter first reported a problem with his Impreza WRC car on the opening loop on Friday when he said that the car was simply not driveable. Indeed the Norwegian was so frustrated with it that he was apparently reduced to tears.
Although Subaru managed to fix the problems in service B and he was back nearer the pace for the remainder of day 1, the issue or issues, reoccurred on Saturday morning.
Furthermore while his mechanics again attempted to sort things out in service F, it was no good and after completing SS15 over a minute off the pace, the decision was taken to withdraw him, partly as he had no chance to get points and it was best to preserve the engine for the next event and partly due to safety concerns.
“If you look at the big picture then withdrawing from the rally was really the only option we had. We still had nearly 100km left to run after SS15 and the car really wasn't working at speed,” Petter explained.
“If it helps us get to the bottom of why my car wasn't working properly, then it will have been worth doing. I'm very sorry to my supporters who were on the stages waiting. But trust me; it wouldn't have been much fun to watch,” he added.
For the record, Petter had been running eighth overall, prior to the decision to abandon the event.
Subaru later confirmed that the car would be sent immediately back to their base in the UK to try and get to the bottom of the issue.
“Since withdrawing Petter from the leg we have looked over the car and decided he will not rejoin the rally on Sunday. There is no chance for him to score any drivers' points now, and the decision will also safeguard his car's engine which we must use in Germany,” explained
Subaru's managing director, Richard Taylor on Saturday.
