Local hero Solberg was in a class of his own on
the Umeå-based Rally Sweden last weekend, winning 11 of the 18 stages on his
way to a commanding 1min 19.7sec victory, bagging a maximum 25 points towards
his WRC2 title bid.
The question now is – what rallies will Solberg
nominate next for scoring points? Drivers can choose only seven rallies for
their WRC2 campaign, with their best six results counting.
Poor selection cost the Swede in 2023, a season
in which he often produced better results on the rallies he had not picked to
count towards his WRC2 challenge, for example in Croatia, Portugal and Kenya
where he was the second-quickest Rally2 car and then also Finland, where he was
the fastest.
Meanwhile, out of the rallies he chose, Solberg
failed to finish in the points in three of them, seeing him complete the season
sixth in WRC2.
“I could have chosen the rallies where I scored
points a bit more cleverly,” mused the 22-year-old. “We were in a good fight
but with a bit more luck and a bit more strategic choosing we would have had a
good chance [of claiming the title].
“I need to learn a bit more and choose the
rallies more strategically and play the game a bit more like the others do.
“To win WRC2 is the key.”
Solberg will compete next month on Safari Rally
Kenya, but has not yet decided if he will use it as a points event, despite
finishing second there in 2023.
In a subtle but significant change for 2024,
Solberg has moved from Toksport to compete directly for Škoda Motorsport Team,
replacing Andreas Mikkelsen who moved to Hyundai Motorsport WRT.
Evident in his stage times in Sweden, when he
went close on SS5 to setting the fastest overall time, Solberg is comfortable
again behind the wheel of his Fabia RS Rally2. “The car has been working well
and I found a very good rhythm through the whole [Rally Sweden] weekend.
“The feeling has been great, especially now for
the first time with Škoda Motorsport behind me.”
Portugal
Spain
France
