WRC: Petter Solberg not to race in Australia

From wrc.com

Former world rally champion Petter Solberg has confirmed he will not tackle the upcoming Repco Rally Australia after a last minute deal for a drive fell though this morning.

The decision ends weeks of speculation about whether or not the Norwegian would tackle the inaugural east coast event, which is round 10 of this year's 12-event calendar and starts on September 3.

Since losing his seat at the Subaru World Rally Team when the manufacturer pulled out late last year, Petter has driven a privately run Citroen Xsara in all but one of the rounds in 2009 and currently lies sixth in the drivers' championship standings.

Solberg said he was still planning on starting the final two rounds of the season in Spain and Great Britain - but not necessarily in his 2006-specification Xsara.

Looking to the future Solberg said he remains optimistic about his chances of securing another manufacturer contract - even though recent announcements from Ford and Citroen suggest there will be no vacancies there in the near future.