Podium for Solberg on Ford debut
Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson have secured their first podium at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta after an exceptional performance
at this week’s Monte Carlo Rally.
The Norwegian, returning to the Ford camp for the first time since 2000, celebrated a personal best with third place at the iconic event.
Rejoining the FIA World Rally Championship calendar for the first time since 2008, the Monte Carlo Rally provided the WRC crews with five
gruelling days of competition covering more than 433km. It has been the longest WRC event since Kenya’s Safari Rally in 2002, and was
primarily based in Valence before relocating south to the glamorous Principality of Monaco on the French Riviera.
Renowned as a rally with ever-changing road and climatic conditions, this year’s demanding event proved no different as the 18 special
stages challenged the WRC crews with a mix of wet and dry roads compounded by snow, fog and black ice. Tyre choice proved critical and
played a pivotal role from the outset as the WRC teams could select between five types of new-for-2012 Michelin tyres.
After team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala’s retirement from the lead on the opening day, a cat-and-mouse battle for second place ensued
between Solberg and Dani Sordo (Mini). Without studded tyres, 2003 World Rally Champion Solberg struggled with grip on the treacherously
slippery roads on Friday morning and was knocked back into third.
Three stage wins on Saturday, however, saw the 37-year-old driver slash Sordo’s advantage from over one minute at the start of the day
to less than 20sec by the time the WRC crews reached the overnight halt at Monte Carlo’s harbour front. With a short 5.16km Power Stage
concluding the WRC curtain-raiser on Sunday, Solberg applied a measured approach to ensure a podium spot.
“I’m over the moon!” said a delighted Solberg at the finish line. “I’ve absolutely loved this rally from start to finish and
this is the best start to a WRC season I’ve ever had. It is my first rally in the Fiesta with so little testing beforehand, and we
improved our speed all the way through. For me, this rally was mainly about getting some kilometres in the car, improving our speed and
getting to the finish. I love the car – it is really fast, I can tell you! It suits my driving style very well. I’ve been waiting for a
long time to get into a situation like this, and to have the full support from the Ford team feels fantastic.
“You need to have a good start to the season if you want to fight Seb [Loeb],” continued Solberg. “I understand the car is even
better on gravel and snow, so I’m looking forward to moving onto those surfaces next. To finish this rally in the top three is the perfect
start to the season – I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Now I can concentrate solely on the driving, and I can’t wait to get to
Sweden!”
Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson was encouraged by Solberg’s first outing in the Fiesta.
“Petter’s experience has shone through as he has delivered a superb performance," said Wilson. "The car has been 100 per
cent faultless throughout the rally, and Petter has been really happy with it and has settled into the team very well To leave here with his
best-ever Monte Carlo result is a great platform to build upon over the rest of the year. This has given us a lot of confidence going
forward. We had the fastest driver on this rally with Jari-Matti leading early on and Petter has done a great job, so looking to the future
we know we’ve got a really strong team. We have a test before Sweden, and I’m confident we’ll come away with another positive result
next month.”
2012 Monte Carlo Rally Final Results
1. Sébastien Loeb-Daniel Elena (FRA-MON/Citroën DS3) 4:32:39.9
2. Dani Sordo-Carlos Del Barrio (ESP/Mini John Cooper Works) at 2:45.5
3. Petter Solberg-Chris Patterson (NOR-GBR/Ford Fiesta RS) 3:14.2
4. Mikko Hirvonen-Jarmo Lehtinen (FIN/Citroën DS3) 4:06.8
5. Evgueni Novikov-Denis Giraudet (RUS-FRA/Ford Fiesta RS) 6:03.4
6. François Delecour-Dominique Savignoni (FRA/Ford Fiesta RS) 7:47.9
7. Pierre Campana-Sabrina de Castelli (FRA/Mini John Cooper Works) 8:31.4
8. Ott Tänak-Kuldar Sikk (EST/Ford Fiesta RS) 10:34.6
9. Martin Prokop-Zdenek Hruza (CZE/Ford Fiesta RS) 16:10.7
10. Armindo Araujo-Miguel Ramalho (POR/Mini John Cooper Works) 16:16.6
Stage winners
Loeb 9 (SS1, SS3-SS7, SS9, SS10, SS18)
P. Solberg 4 (SS11, SS15, SS16, SS17)
Hirvonen 3 (SS12 & ES14)
Latvala 1 (SS2)
Sordo 1 (SS8)
Retirements
Jari-Matti Latvala-Mikka Anttila (FIN/Ford Fiesta RS)
Thierry Neuville-Nicolas Gilsoul (BEL/Citroën DS3)
Sébastien Ogier-Julien Ingrassia (FRA/Škoda Fabia S2000)
Drivers overall standings (after one event)
1. S. Loeb (FRA) 28 pts
2. D. Sordo (ESP) 18
3. P. Solberg (NOR) 15
4. M. Hirvonen (FIN) 14
5. E. Novikov (RUS) 11
6. F. Delecour (FRA) 8
7. P. Campana (FRA) 6
8. O. Tänak (EST) 4
9. M. Prokop (CZE) 2
10. A. Araujo (POR) 1
Team overall standings
1. Citroën 37 pts
2. Mini 24
3. Ford 15
4. M-Sport (Ford) 14