Petter Solberg loves his Rallycross and he loves his fans all around the world who follow him and support him in every Motorsport venture he takes part in.
This weekend, the 2018 FIA World Rallycross Championship moves to the first of its new venues this season: Silverstone, the new home to the World RX of Great Britain and the new SpeedMachine Festival.
The challenge of the new circuit, which is located on the inside of the famous Stowe corner, is something that the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden driver is looking forward to. Solberg is also well aware of the history of this iconic track.
“Everybody knows how important Silverstone is, it’s one of the oldest and most famous race circuits in the world,” said the Norwegian driver.
“It’s nice to be coming here, nice to be competing in a new place for RX and nice to have the infrastructure of a modern track like this.”
However, with the addition of a new circuit comes the challenge of setting up the car just right for the track itself. After the pre-season test that took place back in March this year, Solberg knows that he has a lot of hard work ahead of him.
“Now we have to look how to get the best out of the Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R Supercar at this new track. We made some good times in testing and we were able to find a nice set-up from the car, even if the rain came down on the second day of the test.”
Its not just the challenge of a new track that the Double World RX champion enjoys. He also enjoys racing on a fast track and racing in the UK. To that end, Solberg is a little nostalgic as he recalls his recent successes in Great Britain.
“You know that I like the really fast tracks – and Lydden was one of the best, with fantastic corners like Devil’s Elbow and Paddock bend – and Silverstone won’t be quite so fast as that,” explains the former WRC Champion.
“But I love competing in Britain. I had a lot of success here, winning my first world championship here (on Rally GB, 2003) and in many ways it’s like another home for me – the crowds in England are the best in the world.”