Henning Solberg

Driver profile

Career Summary

Info

Nationality:	NOR
Date of Birth:	08.01.1973
Age:	46

Season 2019

Classification:	WRC2
Car:	ŠKODA Fabia R5
Co-driver:	Ilka Minor
Points:	43
Standing:	9
Rally Wins:	0
Retirements:	0
Podiums:	1

Here’s what makes him special:

• The older brother of 2003 World Champion Petter, Henning is half of Norway’s favourite rallying brotherhood

• One of the sport’s most experienced drivers, when he’s in the groove he has the power to embarrass the youngsters.

• Once raced a bobsleigh in a rally car – and almost won

The story so far:

Henning Solberg, the elder brother of 2003 title winner Petter, has been a regular fixture in the World Rally Championship for the past 15 seasons. Despite his familiar cry of “I try my best”, he has yet to taste the same level of success as his young sibling has enjoyed.

That shouldn’t detract from Henning’s obvious talents, though. And despite running as a privateer, with a budget that doesn’t stretch to much testing, he still has the ability to surprise the championship regulars.

Solberg began his career in rallycross before switching to rallying full-time in the mid-1990s. He was Norwegian champion five years on the bounce between 1999 and 2003 and made his international debut in 1998 contesting selected events in privately-run Ford Escort and Toyota Corolla World Rally Cars. He joined the French Bozian team in 2004, contesting seven events in a Peugeot 206 when he claimed his first WRC points.

Solberg spent 2005 driving a semi-works Ford Focus and finished fifth in Sweden and fourth in Cyprus before his return to Bozian for 2006 in a Peugeot 307. His budget stretched to an increased 12-event schedule and he ended the season eighth in the standings following his first podium in Turkey.

A move back to the Ford-blessed Stobart M-Sport fold followed in 2007 when he got the chance to drive a new-generation Focus on all 16 rounds. He took an emotional podium on home soil in Norway and was also on the podium in Japan later that year.

Solberg continued with the Stobart M-Sport operation in 2008 and also represented the Munchi’s Ford team from time to time. He was back full-time at the Stobart M-Sport operation in 2009 when he landed podiums in Argentina and Poland.

He replaced long-term co-driver Cato Menkerud with Austrian lady Ilka Minor in an effort to reinvigorate his performances in 2010. But there would be no more podiums that year. In 2011 he and Minor switched from the Focus to a Fiesta RS, and enjoyed another solid season, taking eight top-10 finishes, and rounding off the year with a podium at Wales Rally GB.

A lack of budget limited Solberg to just three WRC appearances across the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but this increased to six in 2014, when he again proved a consistent top 10 finisher and took a high of fifth in Portugal.

• The older brother of 2003 World Champion Petter, Henning is half of Norway’s favourite rallying brotherhood

• One of the sport’s most experienced drivers, when he’s in the groove he has the power to embarrass the youngsters.

• Once raced a bobsleigh in a rally car – and almost won

The story so far:

Henning Solberg, the elder brother of 2003 title winner Petter, has been a regular fixture in the World Rally Championship for the past 15 seasons. Despite his familiar cry of “I try my best”, he has yet to taste the same level of success as his young sibling has enjoyed.

That shouldn’t detract from Henning’s obvious talents, though. And despite running as a privateer, with a budget that doesn’t stretch to much testing, he still has the ability to surprise the championship regulars.

Solberg began his career in rallycross before switching to rallying full-time in the mid-1990s. He was Norwegian champion five years on the bounce between 1999 and 2003 and made his international debut in 1998 contesting selected events in privately-run Ford Escort and Toyota Corolla World Rally Cars. He joined the French Bozian team in 2004, contesting seven events in a Peugeot 206 when he claimed his first WRC points.

Solberg spent 2005 driving a semi-works Ford Focus and finished fifth in Sweden and fourth in Cyprus before his return to Bozian for 2006 in a Peugeot 307. His budget stretched to an increased 12-event schedule and he ended the season eighth in the standings following his first podium in Turkey.

A move back to the Ford-blessed Stobart M-Sport fold followed in 2007 when he got the chance to drive a new-generation Focus on all 16 rounds. He took an emotional podium on home soil in Norway and was also on the podium in Japan later that year.

Solberg continued with the Stobart M-Sport operation in 2008 and also represented the Munchi’s Ford team from time to time. He was back full-time at the Stobart M-Sport operation in 2009 when he landed podiums in Argentina and Poland.

He replaced long-term co-driver Cato Menkerud with Austrian lady Ilka Minor in an effort to reinvigorate his performances in 2010. But there would be no more podiums that year. In 2011 he and Minor switched from the Focus to a Fiesta RS, and enjoyed another solid season, taking eight top-10 finishes, and rounding off the year with a podium at Wales Rally GB.

A lack of budget limited Solberg to just three WRC appearances across the 2012 and 2013 seasons, but this increased to six in 2014, when he again proved a consistent top 10 finisher and took a high of fifth in Portugal.

• Season
• Career
• Highlights

Rally	Classification	Co-driver	Rank	Points
Vodafone Rally de Portugal	WRC2	Ilka Minor	3.	15
Neste Rally Finland	WRC2	Ilka Minor	5.	10
Rally Turkey	WRC2	Ilka Minor	4.	12