Petter Solberg has announced that he is due to mark his IRC debut on next year’s Rallye Monte Carlo.
“I was very surprised when Olivier Quesnel, director of Peugeot Sport, contacted me and asked if I would be a guest driver for Rallye Monte-Carlo. Of course I had to accept but this is a one-time arrangement, and I have no plans for a future in the IRC.”
Solberg will drive a Kronos Racing-prepared Peugeot 207 S2000 on the 100th anniversary of the historic event. Regular navigator Chris Patterson will partner Solberg on the event.
“The manufacturer team will run the car, and they wanted to hire me for this event to secure a good result for the team. As for me, this means more competitive kilometres in a rally car and a new experience, as I have not entered an IRC event before. There is also live coverage of the stages, which will be exciting.”
However, Solberg will still stay in the WRC, with this IRC debut being a one-off event.
“My plan is still to be in the WRC, and fight for the championship in 2011.”
Solberg has experience of the event, having entered 8 times, but he has never had the winning touch on the rally. 5th in 2008 has been his best performance at the event, with four retirements being his worst showing.
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