The home rally was Solberg’s first point-scoring event of the season in the WRC2 class. The Skoda driver maintained an expectedly fast pace, defeating runner-up Sami Pajari by a margin of over a minute.
“What can I say? It’s been a fantastic event. For my first WRC2 round of the season, winning with Skoda like this is something very special,” Solberg rejoiced.
“There was definitely pressure, but I enjoyed it more than I felt the pressure. So, I think I just wanted to drive, smile, and then see how it goes.”
Solberg pulled away from his competitors from Friday, when heavy snowfall made it difficult for the crews. By the end of Friday, Solberg was sensationally third overall.
“We showed good pace on the first day, and it was really cool to finish third overall. That was a pretty amazing feeling for me, and sharing that with the home fans and so many of my family… I was stoked about that,” Solberg beamed.
“On Saturday and Sunday, I was mainly controlling our lead. We had a lot to lose if we pushed too hard. We were fifth overall and with a good lead (in WRC2), so we didn’t want to take any major risks.”
Following Solberg in the results were Sami Pajari, Georg Linnamäe, and Roope Korhonen, competing in Toyota’s new Rally2 cars. The weekend in Sweden showed that Toyota’s newcomer has potential.
Solberg is well aware of this.
“We are trying to work on it a bit, but the car is close and it’s working very well. When Toyota gets closer, we will have to fine-tune a little bit,” Solberg predicted.
“I know the car is very fast, but I also know that Toyota will work well, so we need to fine-tune to just stay on top.”
