P Solberg won't make Rally Australia

h3000

Unfortunately Petter won't be at rally Australia this year, seems he was promised a drive that fell through.:mad::(

On the bright side he is hinting at a new car for Spain and GB.

wrc.com wrote:

Former world rally champion Petter Solberg has confirmed he will not tackle the upcoming Repco Rally Australia after a last minute deal for a drive fell though this morning.

The decision ends weeks of speculation about whether or not the Norwegian would tackle the inaugural east coast event, which is round 10 of this year's 12 event calendar and starts on 3 September.

Since losing his seat at the Subaru World Rally Team when the manufacturer pulled out late last year, Petter has driven a privately run Citroen Xsara in all but one of the rounds in 2009 and currently lies sixth in the drivers' championship standings.

Petter told wrc.com his Australia plans had hung in the balance right until today's entry deadline: "I've always said that going to Australia depended on how the season went," he said. "If I was still fighting for third in the championship then we probably would have gone, but as it is we have been a little bit unlucky recently.

"In Finland we decided not to go, but then yesterday it looked like it was back on - somebody wanted me to drive and we put an entry in. I can't say any more about it but unfortunately today the deal didn't happen and we've withdrawn the entry. It’s been back and forth a lot," he added.

Solberg said he was still planning on starting the final two rounds of the season in Spain and Great Britain - but not necessarily in his 2006-specififation Xsara. "Nothing is finalised yet but we might be able to do something different in Spain and GB - something which would allow me to put extra effort into them," he said. "I’d rather do two rallies properly, than do three at medium."

Looking to the future Solberg said he remains optimistic about his chances of securing another manufacturer contract - even though recent announcements from Ford and Citroen suggest there will be no vacancies there in the near future. "There's been a lot of [manufacturer] interest but nobody is ready yet," he said. "But in 2011 I'm sure there will be something."

Petter said his plans for 2010 were still flexible and would depend largely on the car he could get. "This year I did better than expected, actually, but if I'm going to do this again on my own I must have a chance to fight for the World Championship. If I can compete in the latest equipment, then yes - I’ll compete - but if I don't get it then I don’t do it."

Linky

Robbo

I wonder would Citroen let him have a C4 for the last 2 rounds to try and deprive Ford of some Manufacturer points, maybe register him instead of Rautenbach?

Robbo

Now looking at a Ford for Rally GB.

I reckon he's negotiating with both sides to get whatever deal suits him best.

De Hipster

Am disappointed for him...talented driver but not getting any younger if he's left waiting until 2011 for a drive & who knows what shape WRC is likely to be in by then...Super 2000's, Super 1600's ...IRC etc.

hi_sir

talk is you might see him in a focus for gb and he's trying to put together a two car s2000 team for next year