JUMP-START; New Subaru wins, first time out.(Motorsports)(achievements and awards of Petter Solberg at Rally Mexico)

Byline: ANTHONY PEACOCK

Petter Solberg won the Rally Mexico, leading from start to finish. It was a dream debut for the 2005-spec Subaru Impreza WRC. It was also an emotional win for Solberg and his Subaru team, coming just days after Ryuichiro Kuze, the Subaru rally team's founding father, died of cancer.

"I reckon this is going to be one of the greatest years we've ever seen in World Rallying,'' said Solberg, whose second season win (and 12th career win) moves him into the drivers' championship lead. "We've not had a single problem, and the new car can only get better.''

Solberg won by more than half a minute, having set the fastest time on six of the 14 gravel stages.

Peugeot leads the constructors' championship for the first time since 2003, thanks to second and third places in Mexico for Marcus Gronholm and Markko Martin. And this, despite the 307 WRC's voracious appetite for brakes, which forced Gronholm to stop and change the pads after every stage. "When I get home, I think I'll look for work as a brake fitter!'' joked the gangly Finn. "I'm pretty good at it now.''

In fairness to Peugeot, conditions in Mexico were unexpectedly harsh. The gravel surfaces on opening day were so hard that cars were laying down rubber, a bit like an asphalt rally. This also meant any remaining stones were firmly embedded in the road rather than swept away by traffic, causing many of the sharper rocks to smash sump guards and break suspension joints.

An example? A rock caught out reigning champ Sebastien Loeb on the very first stage. The impact damaged a rear wheel, which eventually pulled out the damper and suspension assembly. By the time the Citroen got back to the service park in Leon on three wheels, Loeb had lost more than four minutes.