EXCLUSIVE Petter Solberg Q&A

After losing his Subaru factory drive when the firm withdrew just before the start of the 2009 season, 2003 World Champion Petter Solberg took matters into his own hands last year, building his own team and tackling all but two of the WRC rounds.

This year the Norwegian is going it alone again. But instead of the ageing Citroen Xsara he campaigned for much of 2009, this time he'll be behind the wheel of a bang-up-to-date C4 - the same model Sebastien Loeb drove to championship victory last October.

Following his decision to stick with Citroen in 2010, Petter spoke EXCLUSIVELY to wrc.com about his hopes for the season, and his chances of challenging for a second WRC title.

You announced yesterday that you have bought two C4 World Rally Cars. Why two?
"If you are going to do the whole championship you need two cars. And this year I want to do this properly."

Names like Gigi Galli and P-G Andersson have been linked to drives with your team. Are you planning on running both of your C4 World Rally Cars on some events?
"No, I will not rent out the C4 to anybody else. I'm not planning that at all. If somebody wants to join me this year they're going to have to rent the Xsara. I currently have two Xsaras, but I'm going to sell one. I will keep the other because it's such good fun to drive."

How do your 2010 season cars compare to the C4 you drove in Spain and GB last season?
"This year I have a 2009-spec model, which is different to the one I drove last year. Basically I should have the same specification that Sebastien Loeb had last year. It's looking good."

But presumably Loeb's factory team C4 will have evolved again this year?
"After what Citroen have said I don't think there will be a big difference between the cars that Sebastien and I will drive this year. We will find out, but I don't think so. I believe I have got a good package from Citroen, with good support and good planning so I'm very happy."

Was the support offered by Citroen the main reason you chose the C4 over the Ford Focus you were considering?
"Clearly support was a big factor and in some areas yes, Citroen offered me more than other manufacturers. The fact is that at this level of competition, and in such tough times, it’s not just about the car. You need some help from a manufacturer. This is how it works."

Will you do the whole 13 round series in 2010?
"I can't say that for sure. At the moment all I can guarantee is that I'll be driving the C4 starting in Sweden. I don't yet have the budget for the full season but we're working on it. I'm still waiting for some answers, but I hope to announce the full programme and our testing plan next week."

So can you win this year's Drivers' World Championship?
"That is the plan. We want to be right up there fighting for the title with Sebastien and Mikko. That's the reason we've worked so hard to get this car and why we're working so hard to get enough budget to fight."

Apart from the car, how else has team Solberg evolved since 2009?
"Personally I'm working hard to be in the best physical shape. I'm fitter than ever and doing everything I can to improve. Phil [Mills, co-driver] is training hard as well and is losing some weight to try and keep up! Looking at the team, the most significant change is that my chief engineer Francois Xavier Demaison is working for me now, full time, rather than for Citroen Racing.

"FX has full responsibility for the car. Ken Rees remains team manager but FX is in charge of everything technical including all the mechanics and the performance of the car. For now, we're working hard to get the cars prepped and ready. I want to get testing as soon as possible. We can't do more than we're doing, but we have to push very hard now if we're to have a chance of winning."