Motorsport: Not a man to be kept down

Petter Solberg. Photo / John Stone

Not a man to be kept down, Norwegian driver Petter Solberg is back in the saddle and coming back to New Zealand. When Subaru pulled the pin on their WRC team, it appeared Solberg wouldn't be gracing the world stage any more. However, he now has his own team which is doing rather well in the 2010 championships.

"With Petter Solberg second in the drivers' standing for the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship as the series heads to Rally New Zealand, most Kiwis will simply be pleased to see such a popular and talented driver doing well,"says Rally New Zealand's general manager Paul Mallard.

With Petter now piloting a Citroën C4WRC car – a very similar car to that driven by six-time world champion Sébastien Loeb–many Kiwis will still be cheering for the driver known as 'Hollywood' due to his trademark grin."

The Petter Solberg World Rally Team was launched by Solberg in February 2009,with Ken Rees, formerly a key member of the Subaru World Rally Team, taking on the role as Solberg's team manager.

Martin Holmes, author of the highly-regarded Pirelli World Rallying annuals, says,"Few teams have been born out of sheer determination and hard work the way the Petter Solberg World Rally Team has been. It was conceived the moment Subaru announced that their world championship team would cease to operate at the end of 2008."

The privately-owned Solberg team ran an older Citroën Xsara WRC car in all but two of 2009's 12 events to finish fifth in the WRC drivers' championship. In September he secured a C4WRC car from Citroën. He used the much newer C4 for the first time in Spain, finishing fourth."Do I need to say any more? I'm back,"said Solberg.

Petter and his long-time Welsh co-driver Phil Mills both said that fourth place was the biggest moment in their careers since some successes in 2004," says Mallard."When you see the sheer amount of hard work Petter's whole team is putting in with what is, inWRC terms, a very modest budget, you can see why the Spanish placing was such a significant moment for them all."

For 2010's campaign, due to his privateer status, Solberg benefits from being allowed greater freedom in matters like pre-event testing and the quantity of available parts.

Regrettably, the 2010 season didn't start the way Solberg wanted. Spins and off-road excursions lead to a nineth-place finish in the snow of Sweden. But a second place in Mexico, third in Jordan and second in Turkey–where Solberg was trading stage times with Loeb and Ford's best – sees Solberg arrive in New Zealand second on the leader-board, behind
Loeb.

It's only a matter of time before Solberg wins a WRC event again. He says Rally New Zealand has always been one of his favourite events. "I really look forward to arriving there soon with my own team. I really think the stages around Auckland will suit us perfectly and we're definitely aiming for another podium,"he said.

Holmes says Solberg has lost none of his driving flair despite the constant pressures. "After all, he's the most recent Nordic driver to be the sport's world champion. But nothing relieves the pressures of being the team proprietor and the driver for this enormously popular competitor. For personality and determination Solberg is most definitely a world champ; all he needs now are top podium finishes to
prove the point completely."