Solberg secures New Zealand victory

Subaru’s Petter Solberg held off a spirited late challenge from the Peugeot of Marcus Gronholm to win the Rally New Zealand.

Gronholm, who had suffered a spin on the penultimate section, took the 23rd and final stage by 10.4 seconds.

However, Solberg did enough in coming home second to keep the Norwegian 5.9secs ahead of his Finnish rival overall.

Estonia’s Markko Martin heads the drivers’ championship by one point for Ford after claiming third on the closing stage and the same position overall.

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb was fourth for Citroen in New Zealand and is now second in the title race, a point ahead of Gronholm and two clear of Solberg.