Subaru's
Chris Atkinson came through to take a 'well deserved' fourth place on the Rally Finland on Sunday, the ninth round in the 2007
FIA World Rally Championship.
Atkinson began the event in style, by winning the super special stage on Thursday night, he then maintained a consistent and very solid pace, setting 19 top five stage times in total, including a third best time on the first run through the famous Ouninpohja test.
Speaking at the finish, the Aussie was happy with his form and believes that it is a good sign for the rest of the season.
"We just tried to keep the pace of the car right through the weekend. To be able to do those times for the first day and a half was great, and let's hope we can continue it for the rest of the year," he stated.
Asked about the next event, Chris said he was quietly optimistic ahead of the Rallye Deutschland: "The car is performing well on tarmac at the moment, so we're confident we can continue this pace in Germany," he added. "I'm pleased with the way we have gone this weekend, and think it is encouraging for the team."
Subaru's managing director Richard Taylor meanwhile was delighted with Atkinson's form and praised his performance, which was no doubt quite a relief after all the problems they had with
Petter Solberg's car, which culminated in them having to withdraw the Norwegian post-SS15.
"Chris has done a superb job for the team today, and his fourth place is well deserved. His objective for the leg was to defend his position and get the car to the finish and he did exactly what was required,” Taylor concluded.
“Chris can be very happy with his performance in Finland; he has driven consistently, set a fastest time and he hasn't put a foot wrong all weekend."
