Petter Solberg/Subaru WRC

Subaru WRC - New Zealand
Petter Solberg Takes Third

April 16, 2003

The Impreza has always been quick since the beginning of the season but for some reason, Petter Solberg was not able to get the results he deserved. Today, it finally happened, the Norwegian driver finishing in third place in Rally New Zealand, his best result of the season.

"It was my plan before the rally to get onto the podium so I'm very happy." said Solberg. "We didn't push too hard, and after a tricky start to the season we've got 6 points here today. We're getting closer and closer to the top, and this is the way to do it. The car and tyres have been working well. We've got a little bit more work to do, but we're getting there and I'm really looking forward to Argentina."

Tommi Mäkinen admitted that he was not able to be really competitive in this event. The Finn got a seventh place result, almost ten minutes behind the winner. "The event itself has been very good. It's been good weather, very different to the normal conditions of the New Zealand Rally, but it's been quite difficult for me." admitted the four-time world champion.

"On our side, it hasn't really been one hundred per cent. Things felt very good before the event, but in the conditions on the stages, things just didn't feel the same. It's always good to get some points and we didn't have any driver points where we started this morning. So, to come away with some for both ourselves and the team is a positive way to finish. I'm looking forward very much to Argentina. It's a rally that I like and we should get some good points in the next rallies that are coming up."

David Lapworth, Subaru World Rally Team Principal, said to be satisfied with the team's result this weekend. "It was a good solid performance from Petter this weekend and he did exactly what we asked him to. Both cars have been 100 per cent reliable for the whole three days. We've benchmarked our progress over the last six months and it's clear that we are progressing in the right direction. We're looking forward to taking a few more steps up the podium on the coming events."