Petter Solberg re-ignited Subaru’s 2003 WRC campaign with his win in the Cyprus Rally and now considers himself a strong candidate to clinch the world championship title this year.
Petter Solberg re-ignited Subaru’s 2003 WRC campaign with his win in the Cyprus Rally and now considers himself a strong candidate to clinch the world championship title this year.
“There is no reason why it (the drivers’ title) shouldn’t be possible. Everyone knows Peugeot is strong, but we are trying to beat them and this might be the right year. Subaru knows how to make world champions and I have got a good feeling right now,” said Solberg, who recently renewed his contract with the Japanese team.
Subaru team boss David Lapworth described Solberg’s Cyprus win as “one of the most professional, cool and calculated jobs” he has ever seen and says Solberg has come a long way since the team lured him away from Ford three years ago.
“We could see in Petter what we saw in the young Colin McRae,” said Lapworth. “It was just a question of him finding the balance between speed and risk.
“When Petter first joined us, he was going out there and trying to beat everybody. What we did was change his whole strategy. He and I talked it through and we decided that he should just drive for safety and forget about the result,” he added.
“Gradually, we were able to build up his confidence and introduce a greater element of risk. With all the really quick drivers like Marcus (Gronholm) and Colin (McRae), their natural speed carries an element of risk. You will never get away from that.”