Solberg is back in the points hunt again after skipping entry to Rally Sardinia, where the 23-year-old driver was nevertheless the fastest in his class. However, Solberg has already celebrated victories both in his home country in February and in Portugal in May.
If Solberg were to celebrate another win in Greece, it would put him back at the top of the WRC2 standings. Solberg conducted testing for the Acropolis Rally last week together with his co-driver Elliott Edmondson and his Finnish team, Printsport.
“Everything feels good. We worked well with the car in Sardinia, we found a set-up which we think was taking the best from the tyres and now we’re looking to fine-tune that a little bit for Greece,” Solberg commented.
“Sardinia and Acropolis are quite similar in the fact they’re both hot and rough events, but the surface can be a little bit different here in Greece. It’s all about those really fine margins and making sure we have the car absolutely dialled.”
The Toyota Rally2 car has suited the Swede very well. In Greece, temperatures may rise above 40 degrees Celsius during the rally weekend, which means the rally car’s cockpit will be something of a sauna.”
“How can you not be smiling when you have a car like this Toyota to drive on a fantastic road with the sun shining and not a cloud coming in the sky. This is the summertime now and, like you know, Swedish people, we like to celebrate the middle of summer. Taking a win this week would be a good way to do that,” Solberg smiled.
“Definitely this is one of the hotter ones. These are the ones you work hard in the gym and the sauna all winter for. Being physically fit is crucial here – when the heat is coming you get tired faster and that’s where the mistakes can come.”
The Acropolis Rally of Greece begins on Thursday evening at the foot of the famous Acropolis in Athens. After the Thursday evening city stage, the competitors will head to the hills and mountains of Central Greece, where a total of 17 special stages and 345 gruelling kilometres await them over the following three days.
