Henning Solberg’s younger brother, Petter Solberg, the 2003 world champion, has an impressive list of rally achievements. But the elder brother is no slouch behind the wheel either. Henning Solberg, 51, has competed in no less than 133 WRC rallies and has reached the podium six times.
In recent years, however, Solberg has been in the headlines in Norway for reasons other than rallying. The Norwegian has faced financial troubles, and last year the family’s farm was put up for a forced sale.
Solberg was ultimately able to keep the family farm, but his financial matters have been dealt with in court. In 2022, he was ordered to pay 4.5 million Norwegian kroner to his former business partner, Ramiz Safdar.
According to Solberg, sponsors gradually abandoned him due to the media scandals. In an interview with Nettavisen this autumn, Solberg said he disagreed with the judgments he received but had accepted them.
Now, Solberg says he has left the difficulties behind him. This year, he made an impressive comeback in the Norwegian Rally Championship, claiming the championship title at the end of September.
Solberg already held Norwegian championships, but it had been 21 years since the last one.
The veteran driver is now setting his sights on the next rally season, with sponsorship support starting to build up again.
“Things are coming together. I have a few sponsors, and I’ve received more offers than ever,” Solberg assures on the Norwegian site Parc Ferme.
This year, Solberg found support from the Hungarian Topp-Cars team, which unexpectedly offered him a partnership before the season began. Solberg drove the team’s Skoda Fabia Rally2 car, with which he secured two individual race wins.
“I guess I’ll be driving for the same team I’m with now. I’ve never met my team manager; I’ve only spoken to him on the phone, and I’ve been nervous sometimes – will the car arrive or not? Then suddenly, two mechanics show up, and I have a bag full of shock absorbers. They put them on, we adjust the seat a bit, and then it’s time to drive,” Solberg explains the unusual arrangement.
Next season, Solberg’s goal is to defend his championship. Now he benefits from having the rallies fresh in his mind.
“Now that I’ve driven for a year, I’m getting back that sense of knowing where the roads go. It’s actually quite fun to get started again.”
