Solberg: Rallycross rivalries fuel my competitive nature

Oliver Solberg says he is relishing the prospect of taking on the likes of multiple world champion Johan Kristoffersson and reigning Euro RX1 title-winner Andreas Bakkerud at Höljes on 2-3 July, as he leaves no doubt about his objective for the ‘Magic Weekend’.

It was announced just under two months ago that Solberg – currently sharing Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT’s third hybrid-powered i20 with Dani Sordo in the FIA World Rally Championship – will make his first competitive rallycross appearance in almost two years with Hedströms Motorsport in the Euro RX1 category next month.

No stranger to success in the dual-surface discipline, the Swede – son of two-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg – entered RallyX Nordic’s headlining Supercar class behind the wheel of his father’s 600bhp Citroën DS3 in 2017, reaching the rostrum first time out en route to the runner-up spoils in the standings. A year later, three triumphs from six starts propelled him to the series crown.

The last time he contested a rallycross event – at Höljes in 2020 – Solberg piloted the family’s venerable DS3 to a podium finish during the ‘All-Star Magic Weekend’. Now, the 20-year-old is preparing for his comeback – following an intense schedule that will take him to Africa for Safari Rally Kenya, back home to Sweden for some laps in Hedströms’ Hyundai, to Estonia for a pre-event WRC test and finally to Värmland for Cooper Tires World RX of Sweden.

“It’s very tight,” he acknowledged, “but I’ve tried the car already and I know the track very well, so hopefully I can get into it very quickly. I’ve always loved rallycross. It’s fast cars and very action-packed, so when I got the opportunity to drive with Hedströms, I said ‘of course’. Their workshop is only ten minutes from ours, so we’ve known them for a long time and they’re a good team.

“I’m looking forward to a fun weekend, but above all, I want to win! I know Johan Kristoffersson very well, I know some of the other guys and we are probably at our most competitive when we race against each other. For sure we want to beat each other – it’s very simple.”