SYDNEY, - Francois Duval grabbed the outright lead on the second day of the Rally of Australia when first day leader Petter Solberg retired after killing a kangaroo during a high-speed accident.
Solberg was leading the rally by more than 50 seconds early on the second day when he collided with a kangaroo on a gravel road in forest outside of Perth.
The Norwegian, driving full speed at the time, managed to complete the stage but the impact damaged the cooling system, radiator, fan and oil cooler on his Subaru, forcing him to quit.
"Everything was going perfectly, the car was just right, we had the speed and then something just came out of the blue," Solberg said.
"There was nothing I could do to avoid it (but) I suppose I should be glad the kangaroo was hunched down when we hit, if it had been up in the air, then at 190 km/h I think it would have gone straight through the windscreen."
Solberg's retirement allowed Duval, driving a Citroen, to snatch the lead on the 14th stage, which he maintained until the end of the day.
The Belgian, who had been second overnight, is chasing his first rally victory after finishing second in Germany, Britain and Spain this year.
He completed the second day 27 seconds ahead of Briton Colin McRae with Finland's Harri Rovanpera a further five seconds away in third with just Sunday's six concluding stages to follow.
Solberg, who finished the championship in second place, joined a growing list of high-profile casualties from the season-ending rally.
French world champion Sebastien Loeb crashed out when his Citroen hit a tree while leading late on the first day, and Sweden's Daniel Carlsson had a lucky escape when his Peugeot burst into flames after it slid off the road and slammed into a tree.
Marcus Gronholm, who lost second place in the championship to Solberg on a countback, also made an early exit on the opening day.
The Finn damaged the suspension on his Peugeot when he hit a rock and although he continued driving, local police ordered him to stop on safety grounds.
"It is some consolation that we have the silver medal in the drivers' championships this year, that's still a good result for us," Solberg said. "We'll be back next year looking to set the record straight."
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