Solberg wins in Australia with late rally

Subaru's Petter Solberg powered to victory in the Rally Australia after finally getting the better of a thrilling duel with Citroen's Sebastien Loeb.

Frenchman Loeb led by the narrowest of margins with two stages to go but as Norwegian Solberg finished first and third in those runs, his rival could only manage fifth and eighth.

Solberg eventually prevailed by 26.6 seconds overall, with World Championship leader Richard Burns almost a minute-and-a-half back in third for Peugeot.

Colin McRae claimed the final stage win by four seconds ahead of Citroen teammate Carlos Sainz as they finished fourth and fifth respectively overall.