Laukkanen breaks his duck.

Tapio Laukkanen scored his first WRC points in Australia on the weekend, having replaced the Subaru-bound Petter Solberg in Ford's Focus.

The Finn was the sole remaining works runner for the Blue Oval, on an event that saw Colin McRae succumb to a first leg engine problem and Carlos Sainz excluded whilst attempting to secure an advantageous starting position for leg two. His sixth position eventually became fifth following compatriot Tommi Makinen's exclusion for running an illegal turbo, but Laukkanen was pleased just to have made it into the points at all.

"I'm delighted to finish in the points but, at the same time, a little disappointed not to have caught [Hyundai's] Kenneth [Eriksson]," he said, "It was a tough event for me, but the more kilometres I complete in the Focus, the more confident I feel with the car."

Rally Australia was only Laukkanen's second outing in the Focus, following his deal to replace Solberg, and he had to hunt down another Finn, Toni Gardemeister to ensure that he scored on the event. Along with long-time co-driver Kaj Lindstrom, Laukkanen will again be out on the final rally of the year, and is hoping that his British Championship winning form will again take him to a points finish.

"I'm looking forward to the Rally of Great Britain later this month. I've gathered plenty of experience of the forests there, and feel confident that I can at least match this performance," he confirmed.

Ford will field three cars on the Rally of Great Britain, which begins in Cardiff on Thursday 23 November.