Photo by: XPB Images
After a week in sunny Tenerife with his family, Petter Solberg is now in Wales to join the rest of the Petter Solberg World Rally Team for the final event of the 2011 World Rally Championship, Rally Wales GB. The permanent Service Park is housed indoors, based in the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells, where shakedown will also take place. Rally HQ remains in the Wales Millenium Centre in Cardiff.
Running over a new four-day route, with an often treacherously slippy and muddy fast gravel surface thanks to the unpredictable Welsh weather, the rally spreads further out across Wales this year and starts in North Wales in the seaside town of Llandudno. The gravel stages cover mainly forestry land, which in the dry are some of the fastest of the championship. Three stages on Thursday begin the rally and see two runs through the classic, legendary Great Orme toll road stage, not used in Rally GB since 1981. Friday’s action moves into mid-Wales for eight stages, including three repeated forest stages separated by a service in Builth Wells.
Saturday’s full speed stages move further south to Hafren, Sweet Lamb and Myherin, stages that are unchanged from last year, while Sunday’s re-visit a familiar area but include some changes and new sections. The second run through 4.36kms Monument will be the final stage of the rally and also the Power Stage which will be broadcast live on TV and offers additional Championship points for the three fastest drivers.
Winner of Rally GB on four occasions, Petter Solberg finished on the podium in second place last year. This year’s event looks set to prove to be an exciting finish to the World Championship with Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen both fighting to win the title.
- After my short drive in Spain, I’m so looking forward to drive here in Wales, says Petter Solberg. – We started with a few hours of testing yesterday, and everything looks very promising! The often muddy and slippery conditions in Wales suit me very well, and we have had many good results here in the past. My aim is to finish of the 2011 season on the podium.
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