|
Petter's home rally
Letter from SWRT
13 February 2006
|
 |
Petter Solberg is the only FIA World Rally Champion who has not competed on his home soil in a round of the World Championship. But that could all change next year as Rally Norway is bidding to become a fixture on the WRC calendar from 2007 onwards. Should the rally be successful, the Subaru World Rally Team will be well-prepared since immediately after Rally Sweden, drivers Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson, co-drivers Phil Mills and Glenn Macneall, plus SWRT Sporting Director Luis Moya and Subaru Manufacturer Principal Toshi Azuma left for the mountains of Norway. Both crews negotiated the challenging mountain stages in the Rally Norway recce on 7 and 8 February, a mark of how seriously the team is taking the rally's bid.
|
The rally is based in the small town of Hamar, approximately 120km to the north of Norway's capital city, Oslo and, conveniently, just over three hours' drive from the Swedish Rally HQ in Karlstad. Both Petter and Chris drove through the 14 special stages on Tuesday and Wednesday. Petter was particularly enthusiastic about the quality of the roads : "The stages are incredible here. They are very different from the Swedish stages, which are very icy - the roads in Norway are up in the mountains, meaning there is a lot more snow. In fact, we had 30-40cm of snow in 24 hours. The stages are very tricky, real drivers' stages, with snow banks of up to 1.5 metres. It would be very easy to get it wrong up there. The rally will show up drivers' strengths, but also their weaknesses."
Luis also completed four of the stages, including the Lillehammer Superspecial that runs through the Birkebeiner Ski Stadium used for the 1994 Winter Olympics. "The stages were very, very good. Some change character, going from narrow and twisty to wide and flowing. The spectator stage is particularly fun, with lots of hairpins. The facilities are excellent and the event well-organised. We've thoroughly enjoyed our time here."
It wasn't all hard driving for the team though, as Petter, Chris and Luis attended several PR functions,
including a press conference attended by Norwegian and international media, and a photo call in front of the Vikingeskipet, the indoor speed skating area nicknamed the Viking Ship in mark of its distinctive shape.
On Thursday night, Petter was invited to a dinner hosted by the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Petter said, "I am very proud to be rallying in Norway. We've had a lot of support from Norwegian fans and I'm delighted to be able to give something back. I'm happy to support the event and it would be incredible if the event was a round of the championship next year."
Petter will continue to support his nation's bid over the weekend when he visits the service park and views the stages by helicopter. After an intense week, Petter will have a well-deserved rest before an entirely different challenge in just over two weeks: Rally Mexico.
|
 |
2006
2005
