Petter Solberg - Engineering the World Rally - Cars

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Engineering the World Rally

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Engineering the World Rally

Petter Solberg

Subaru driver Petter Solberg in action, Argentina, 2006

Petter 'Hollywood' Solberg has been Mr Consistency in the World Rally Championship. In the last five years, he has finished in the top two four times and captured the title in 2003.

The 32-year-old Norwegian is one of the most effervescent and popular drivers in the championship. He has a relentless work ethic and has set his sights on breaking former team-mate and Finnish rally legend Tommi Mäkinen's record of four WRC titles.

Solberg started his driving career on the fields of his parents' farm near Oslo. As an 11-year-old, Solberg helped his parents build and maintain autocross cars. Too young to compete himself, he raced radio-controlled cars and became Norwegian champion at the age of 13.

He made his competitive driving debut in late 1992. In 1995, he became Norwegian champion in rally cross and hill climbing, a feat he repeated in 1996. That season he won an unprecedented 19 of the 21 events he started.

He made his World Rally Championship debut in 1998, finishing 14th on the Swedish Rally. He signed with the Ford World Rally Team in 1999 and switched to the Subaru World Rally Team in August of 2000. In 2002, Solberg partnered Tommi Mäkinen and finished in the top three five times. Solberg's victory on the final round in Wales pushed him into second place overall. He went on to win the title in 2003.

In 2006, Solberg finished in the top three in four races.

"It was the toughest season of my entire career, since I was 18," said Solberg who signed a contract to stay with Subaru through to 2009. "It is the same with everything: when you are not winning, people forget you very quickly. I'm sure everyone feels like that when they are in the kind of position we were in last year. But we have plenty of supporters around the world and this year we can show them that we haven't given up the fight."