Former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg is gearing up for round two of the all-new FIA European Rallycross Championship in Montealgre, Portugal.
Solberg will once again drive his self-built, all-carbon, 600bhp Citroen DS3 Supercar, the car he debuted at the opening round of the season at Lydden Hill in early April. The British round did not end well for ‘Hollywood’, though, when a power steering failure prevented Solberg from reaching the final on his rallycross debut.
“As usual, we’ve been working non-stop since we got back from England to try and fix all the things we found at Lydden Hill,” said Solberg. “We’ve got a lot of work still to do on this car, but to be really honest, it was a miracle that we were able to be out and competitive on the first round at all. It wasn’t easy – in fact it’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done – but we’ve got the best guys in the world and I know that they’ll get to the bottom of everything. It just takes time.”
The Montealgre circuit is faster than the Lydden Hill layout, with the loose part of the circuit being made up of sand on top of asphalt, meaning keeping momentum of the car going will be the key to success.
“I’ve got some fantastic memories of Portugal: I’ve competed in this country eight times before in the WRC and I’ve always really loved it,” added Solberg. “We were actually leading the rally last year in the WRC, so why not the same again in rallycross? OK, rallycross is a completely different challenge, but at least we go into the Portugal round a little bit better prepared than we did for Lydden Hill. Unlike everyone else it will be completely new for me again, so we’ll just go into it with the same attitude that we always have: 110 per cent, determined to do the best we can, and making sure that all the fans go home with something to remember!”
