Petter Solberg Claims Victory at Rally of Italy

Topics:  Petter Solberg, Rally of Italy

Voice of America
October 3, 2004

Petter Solberg of Norway won his third straight rally as he drove his Subaru to victory at the Rally of Italy in Sardinia. The win kept alive his fading chances of retaining the world title. Solberg led from the start to finish to complete the three-day race two minutes and 7.9 seconds ahead of championship leader Sebastien Loeb of France. Loeb's teammate Carlos Sainz of Spain was third.

Loeb, who could have clinched the title with a win, is 26 points ahead of Solberg in the standings after 13 rounds, with three races left in Corsica, Spain and Australia. The win is worth 10 points, while second place is worth 8 points. Solberg's win Sunday was his first at the Italian rally in Sardinia and his fifth in the 2004 championship.