2015 Subaru Wrx Sti the Prodigal Son of Rally Let Loose Again
For almost a decade, the names Solberg and Subaru were woven into a world championship-winning tapestry. Brothers in arms, the two were inseparable in the pursuit of excellence, success, glory.
Petter Solberg's xiii rally wins helped elevate the little-known Subaru brand from relative obscurity to a legend in globe rallying. Equally the showtime Norwegian to win the Globe Rally Championship (WRC) Drivers' World Title in 2003, it also marked the concluding time that anyone would win the WRC drivers' title in a factory backed Subaru auto, with Subaru's World Rally Team pulling out of WRC in 2008.
And now, they're back: Solberg and Subaru together again.
Except this time, it's 17-year-old son Oliver Solberg, son of Petter, taking on the 2019 American Rally Clan (ARA) championship season for Subaru Motorsports The states.
Oliver Solberg started his life at superlative speed, literally! Born 3 months early on in 2001, he was attending WRC events with Petter and Pernilla [Petter'due south wife] by 2003, and was driving regularly before turning half-dozen years old. What followed was several years racing in cross karts - very fast, very light buggies with close racing on circuits including the legendary Holjes. The first race win didn't accept long, winning in Flisa at viii years of historic period. By 2012 he had won the Norwegian Championship, and so after a step upwardly to a higher course he claimed consecutive championship wins in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He needed a new challenge.
That new challenge was rallying - a sport synonymous with the Solberg proper name. At only fifteen years sometime, the Latvian Rally Championship was one of the few places he could compete in 2017, and with such great roads and system information technology was the perfect place to learn without too much pressure. With 2 wins and several top performances, it certainly was a good start to life on the rally stages.
And in 2018, Oliver went one step improve, condign the 2018 RallyX Nordic Champion with three wins, sealing the championship in the final race of the flavor at Tierp Loonshit. He besides go the youngest commuter ever to compete in a World Rallycross Supercar.
Olivier says "I don't retrieve anybody could begin to understand what a big deal this is for me. I was two years old when my father was World Rally Champion and remember then well how proud I was of dad wearing bluish and yellowish and driving a car of the same colour. I even nevertheless today have the Subaru bed sheets. I don't know of a team anywhere in world motorsport that has created the same sort of success that Subaru Motorsports USA has managed – this is such an exciting mean solar day for me, and an incredible honour to drive for them this year."
The poignancy of the moment isn't lost on Petter. Subaru's 2003 World Rally Champion said: "I think everybody knows Subaru has always and will always be shut to my heart. For about ten years, Subaru was my life and we made an incredible story together. To have Oliver driving for that manufacturer is fantastic for me. And, for certain, there will exist some emotion for Pernilla and me when we come across him climbing into that car for the get-go time at a rally."
Solberg and British co-driver Aaron Johnston boot-off their campaign 15-16 March at Missouri's Rally in the 100 Acre Woods. They will compete for the 2019 ARA title in a total of vi U.S. events alongside defending 2018 ARA champions and seven-fourth dimension U.Southward. rally championship-winners David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew. Action sports icon and five-time national rally champion Travis Pastrana will also render to the Vermont Sportscar-prepared Open 4WD form WRX STI for select events aslope co-driver Robbie Durant.
Higgins said, "It's very cool to have a Solberg driving a Subaru again. A generation of rally fans grew up watching Petter doing incredible things in a blueish and xanthous machine with golden wheels – to run across that Solberg proper noun on the side of 1 of these cars will be mega."
"Nosotros did the Wales Rally GB in a Subaru liveried the same as Colin McRae's 1995 championship-winning automobile in 2015 and the response to that was huge. People accept such fondness and affection for these colours; when I heard we were going back to the blue and yellow livery for this twelvemonth I was delighted. I don't know Oliver all that well, I haven't competed against him earlier, but he'south a Solberg and I think we all know what that means! It'southward fantastic to accept him on the team with us this season."
Boasting a star-studded driver line-up, Subaru Motorsports USA is looking to abound the trophy cabinet having captured 13 of the terminal xiv U.S. national rally titles and in 2019 volition return to the blueish, yellow and gold fabricated famous by the Subaru World Rally Squad – and worn by Oliver's famous male parent.
Source: https://www.subaruedenvale.co.za/jhb-news/solberg-subaru-reunion
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