Petter Solberg

Petter Solberg (born November 18, 1974 in Askim), from Spydeberg, Norway, is a professional rally driver. As of 2005, he is driving for Subaru. In 2002 Solberg came second in the World Rally Championship, stepping up to become World Rally Champion in 2003. He is married to a Swedish woman and both have a son named Oliver. His wife, Pernilla, is the daughter of 1980 European Rallycross Champion Per-Inge Walfridsson (who also claimed a remarkable 4th overall in the 1973 RAC Rally) and was rated herself for a couple of years as possibly the worlds fastest female rally driver.

Related Topics:
November 18 - 1974 - Askim - Spydeberg - Norway - Rally - As of 2005 - Subaru - 2002 - World Rally Championship - 2003

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Solberg won a nationwide Remote-controlled car championship at the age of 13 as he inherited his interest of motorsport through his parents who were keen Rallycross fans. He used to help around the farm, re-building cars as he was not yet old enough to drive. He entered his first so-called Bilcross (a Norwegian "cheaper kind" of Rallycross) in 1992, a day after he got his licence, three days after his 18th birthday. He went on to become Norwegian champion in Rallycross and Hillclimbing in 1995 and 1996, and in 1998 he became a Norwegian champion in rally. His two years older brother Henning Solberg is also a successful rally driver (five times Norwegian Champion). By this time, the World Rally Championship team bosses were starting to realise the potential in Petter and in the end of 1998 he was signed to Ford. In 2000 he went from Ford M-Sport to Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT).

Related Topics:
Rallycross - Hillclimbing - Henning Solberg - World Rally Championship - Ford - Subaru World Rally Team

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In 2003, Solberg beat young-gun Sébastien Loeb at the Rally Wales/GB to become to win the driver's title and become World Champion. In 2004, Solberg won five (out of 16) rallies, but lost to Loeb due to three retirements in a row and bad-luck. So far in 2005, Solberg has won three events.

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His success over more experienced drivers in 2003 partially owes to his distinct driving style, which minimizes sliding at the entry into the bend and maintains the car slightly understeer through the corner, carrying more momentum towards the exit. Such strategy was made possible due to the evolving active differential technology that minimizes slip and to the new design of rear spoiler on his Subaru Impreza WRC introduced in 2003; it featured four vertical fins housed between the two wings, which resist the tail slide.

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