Is Petter Solberg having a mid-life crisis? At 50, the Norwegian wants to add a new chapter to his motorsport career. World rally champion in 2003 with Subaru, then in World Rallycross in 2014 and in 2015 in his own team, “Hollywood” Solberg follows the Dakar 2025 from the inside for three days, thanks to his personal sponsor, Monster Energy.
This Saturday, January 11, Petter Solberg spoke at length with Nasser Al-Attiyah and the English engineers from the Dacia team at the Al Duwadimi bivouac. And for good reason: these are the same engineers that Solberg worked with in the 2000s at Subaru in the WRC.
“I would have liked to chat with Sébastien (Loeb) et Carlos (Sainz)but they left again »says Solberg, smirking. Its two former rivals in the WRC have packed up for several days already following accidents.
“I’m trying to gather as much information as possible about the Dakar, and to learn everything from this race”he continues, more seriously. With the desire to put the helmet back on! “It would be a great challenge to compete in the Dakar. We’ll see. »
Petter Solberg has already given further thought, even if we will have to wait a few months before knowing which team he will ride for. If he knows Prodrive (Dacia) well. M-Sport (Ford) is not unknown either, because it evolved in Malcolm Wilson’s team at the turn of the 2000s.
But why is Petter Solberg only now interested in rally raid? « Oliver (Solberg, his 23-year-old son. Editor’s note) signed a contract with Toyota (for WRC2 in 2025. Editor’s note)I know that his rally career is under control, he explains. At my age, I can refocus more on myself and my desires. »
The man with 13 WRC successes is convinced of this. He will not call on former co-drivers for this new chapter of his career, but will call on big names in the industry, just to accelerate his learning phase. “I only discovered today that the co-driver is called a “navigator” in rally raid. He plays a crucial role in this sport, perhaps more important than the driver! If I dive into it, it’s best to do it with an experienced navigator who can help me. And it won’t be to aim for victory on the first attempt, you need a lot of bottle in this discipline to be able to claim it. »
In front of competitors who compete for the length of a full WRC round in one day of special (or even two like this Saturday), Petter Solberg is almost nostalgic. “The WRC events should be longer, as was the case a quarter of a century ago! Or at least some sleeves. The Dakar seems to me to promote the idea of adventure, and that’s what the WRC still looked like when I started. I see the smiles of the people in the bivouac, I like seeing that! »
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