Petter Solberg og Andreas Mikkelsen hadde det gøy da de deltok i PowerStage under Rally Sardinia. Les mer i denne engelske pressemeldingen.
Three-time FIA world champion Petter Solberg returned to the top class of a competitive World Rally Championship stage for the first time in eight years today.
To say the Norwegian known as ‘Hollywood’ enjoyed his run through the 6.89-kilometre Sassari-Argentiera stage would be something of an understatement.
With three-time world rally winning driver Andreas Mikkelsen co-driving him aboard Pirelli’s Citroën’s development C3 WRC.
How was it being back in ‘competition’?
PS: I have really enjoyed this. Ever since this idea started, I was really thinking this could be a nice thing, a cool thing to do. And this is how it’s been. From the recce, me and Andreas, we had a lot of fun, but at the same time we both wanted to be serious about it.
I took some of the detail out of my pacenotes.
AM: Did you?
PS: I did. This was the shorter version of my pacenotes.
AM: Really?
PS: Before we go further, I want to say thank you to this guy [Andreas], he did an incredible job. I think we call him Andreas Mills now!
AM: No, I am Phil Mikkelsen!
PS: Seriously, it was fantastic to be back in the car – really good to drive this car and, of course, I’m very, very happy to be able to do this and work with my friends from Pirelli on their home rally in Italy. We should remember what happened here, Pirelli launched its new tyres for next season here on Thursday and to be part of that is a big thing.
How was the tyre?
PS: Very, very good. I felt a lot of confidence with them straight away, but, of course, Andreas knows a lot more about the tyres than I do and he’s also very impressed. Pirelli has done a good job.
How was the stage?
PS: Fantastic. But also very, very tricky! It was not such an easy place to drive the car. But my co-driver was doing a good job.
AM: I am so tired now! I’m not used to reading so fast. Like I told you before, after we tried me co-driving for the first time at shakedown, I’m not such a good passenger – normally I’m so scared to be in the car and driven by somebody else. But not this time. Petter did a really good job and I was just trying to get the pacenotes out. I think I was on time for most of them!
PS: You were, it was good. Did you notice that moment?
AM: No! What moment?
PS: The downhill braking… actually, it doesn’t matter.
Any chance of this being a more permanent arrangement?
PS: I am busy working with Oliver now. Maybe in some years I could consider to drive Dakar or something like that, but not for now, no.
AM: And the same for me. I enjoy to co-drive Petter, but the priority for me is to come back to a full-time WRC seat.
Finally, Petter, a quick word on Oliver, please?
PS: He did a fantastic job. Apart from one small thing when the front wheels went to the ditch. I was very impressed with his speed and with his approach on this rally. To be in the top-10 overall for nearly all the time was really special.
And he beat you on the Power Stage?
PS: Did he? OK. Then I need to make some more testing! No… seriously, I’m happy with what me and Andreas did. To come to this car for the first time and drive [in the Power Stage] was not so easy, but we did it. And, like I said, I’m very happy for Oliver’s times and everything here.