Every time Petter comes to Japan for the Japanese WRC round and such, he always goes to the SUBARU test track to test drive production cars. His favorite part of it all is debating with the SUBARU engineers there. He has had long conversations, spanning transportation and meal times, about the relationship between the car's suspension and diff (differential) with IMPREZA WRX STI chief developer Hiroshi Mori. On one occasion, he discussed vehicle strength and handling while sitting in a hot spring with STI vehicle testing head Hideharu Tatsumi until he nearly overheated. The basic theories behind traction delivery, suspension and such are common elements between production and rally cars. The Petter's idea that pursues the speed in the rally sometimes overlaps with thoughts of SUBARU engineers who pursue the ideal from each standpoint. Petter spoke his mind at the 2007 running of Rally Japan; "The prototype I test drove on the test course in the summer was a car filled with ideas from the SUBARU engineers. The four wheels grip the surface, and traction is delivered without any waste. The suspension is smooth, and the steering precise. It felt good. I'm very happy that the car is being put on sale as the new Impreza WRX STI." Once the new Impreza WRX STI Group N-spec machine debuted in the WRC at the start of the 2008 season, he spoke enthusiastically to the media and fellow drivers about the improvements made on the car - as if they were his creations. As far as the 2008 WRC season goes, after the first 4 races, Petter is ranked 7th in the points. Teammate Chris Atkinson is currently 3rd. SWRT has not seen victory in two whole years, but the team is definitely making progress. We all look forward to the day Petter shows his unbeatable speed again, as well as seeing his radiant smile. Petter's smile will be at maximum the day the devoted man finds a car that allows him to drive at 110%. SUBARU's ace WRC driver Petter Solberg was born the second son to a farmer in the remote countryside of Norway. The one thing patently different about the Solberg brothers from everybody else in the area was the fact that both their parents were rallycross (a 4-wheeled version of motocross) drivers. They grew up going to races - and from a young age, were able to tune and set up cars. Petter's other interest was in radio controlled cars. He would save up his allowance, tune up rally-style radio controlled cars, and enter various races throughout Norway. In this sense it was a natural path for Petter and his brother Henning to become rally drivers. After all, they had been involved in races year-round since they were very young. Petter became a rally driver and won the Norwegian Championship, then joined SUBARU in 2000. By 2003, he had already become WRC world champion. People were intrigued by the young world champion Petter. But he kept on his feet on the ground, only thinking about how to drive faster. Everybody was impressed by his devotion to winning. If he came up with an idea that would make a rally car faster, he'd call an engineer, even if it was late at night. Once he finds an optimal setting, nobody can beat him. He says: "The secret is simple-when the set-up is perfect, I am able to show 110% of my capacity. If I have any doubts about control, 110% is impossible, and 100% is only at par with the times recorded by other drivers." Cars that drivers have complete control over can be pushed close to or beyond their potential, yet still perform. SUBARU has the mentality that "conquering speed leads to increased safety," meaning that if the driver is comfortable with controlling the car, external obstacles, such as random accidents, can be avoided. Petter agrees completely with this mental approach.