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August 11, 2003
SOLBERG TAKES SECOND IN FINLAND
Thrilling fans with a pitched battle for second place, 555 Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg claimed second place in the Rally Finland. Solberg delivered a string of consistently fast times and clinched two stage wins to bump Peugeot's Richard Burns into third position, and finish less than a minute behind Markko Märtin's Ford. The result moves Solberg into a tie for third place in the 2003 Drivers' Championship, just eleven points behind the leader.
Tommi Mäkinen took sixth overall to net a further three WRC Championship points. Between them, the drivers collected eleven Manufacturers' points for Subaru.
"We've taken quite a few risks all rally, and I feel I've been driving over the limit for most of the time," said Solberg. "I've been flat out and tried my best to catch Richard, but, on that last stage I knew I had a chance to catch him. We almost lost it on the first corner, but I kept on going – at one point, I was standing in my seat with all my weight on the throttle pedal. I know it's not quite a win, but it certainly feels like one!"
Teams cross the globe to Australia for the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Beginning on Thursday, September 4, the rally is based around the Western Australian city of Perth. With much of the rally contested on gravel roads through forests south and east of the host city, crews will face 386.31 competitive kilometres and 24 gravel stages.
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