Subaru World Rally Team resigns Petter Solberg Contract extended until 2006
May 18, 2003
The 555 Subaru World Rally Team announced today that Petter Solberg has signed a contract which will see him and co-driver Phil Mills stay with the team until the end of the 2006 WRC season.
The 28-year-old Norwegian joined Subaru during the 2000 Championship, and quickly established a reputation as one of the most talented and charismatic stars of the sport. Petter and Phil took their debut WRC win on last year's Rally GB, and the speed and potential shown on recent events has made the pairing one of the most sought-after in the series.
The announcement of a further three-year contract between Petter and Subaru secures the continuation of one of the most exciting partnerships in the WRC and demonstrates the long-term commitment that both parties have to win at the highest level of rally competition.
Q & A with Petter Solberg
Q - With drives being offered by many of the other teams in the WRC you could afford to take your pick for next year. What made you decide to stay at Subaru?
Petter: The overall performance of the Impreza and knowing it can win was a very big part of my choice. The Subaru is simply a great car and I've got a lot of confidence in it over the last three years. Then I looked at other things, I know how other teams have worked and it's always the key people that make the difference. One of the most important factors from me is the management and the people that work in the team. My thinking is that while anything mechanical can be repaired or improved, the people cannot be changed - that's why it's so important to get it right. I am lucky to work with such a good group of people, from the management team of David Lapworth, Paul Howarth, my technicians, Steve Farrell's engineering team and my engineer Pierre Genon - I talk to him every day about everything and he's a good friend.
Maybe I could have switched teams, and perhaps got into another car that could win straight away, but there would be no feeling or passion about that. When we start winning at Subaru, I will have worked hard and there will be a feeling of achievement and that's what I really want. We have also been treated so well by the people at Subaru in Japan, like President Takenaka at FHI and President Katsurada at STI, they are very well organised, there's excellent cooperation and a real feeling of appreciation. It's all about trust and respect. When they give so much to me and Phil you want to give something back.
Q - What's so special about the Impreza package?
Petter: It's a very good car, and our times this year have shown that.
We had a long discussion last year about the development of the WRC Impreza, and it's clear that there is a massive amount of effort going into it's future. It's a long-term project but we're seeing some of the benefits now, there is so much potential and I feel it's all coming together. Working with Pirelli is good too, we are all working together to be champions and there's a lot of effort being put in.
Q - What are your hopes and goals for the coming WRC seasons?
Petter: This year we want to win the Drivers' Championship, but we know there is still more to come from the car and things are getting better and better. That's the only objective - to win rallies and to do it as quickly as possible.
