Petter Solberg Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Petter Solberg

Petter Solberg at the 2017 World RX of Germany

Nationality

Norwegian

Born

18 November 1974 (age 50)
Spydeberg, Norway

Related to

Henning Solberg (brother)
Oliver Solberg (son)

Current team

PSRX Volkswagen Sweden

Years active

2014 – 2018

Car no.

Spotter

Pernilla Solberg

Former teams

SDRX, PSRX

Starts

Championships

2 (2014 –2015)

Wins

Podiums

Finished last season

3rd

FIA ERX Supercar Championship

Car no.

Former teams

PSRX

Starts

Wins

Podiums

Best finish

8th in 2013

World Rally Championship record
Active years	1998–2012, 2018–2019
Co-driver	Egil Solstad Cato Menkerud Phil Mills Fred Gallagher Chris Patterson Veronica Gulbæk Engan
Teams	Ford, Subaru, Petter Solberg World Rally Team, Volkswagen
Rallies	190
Championships	1 (2003)
Rally wins	13
Podiums	52
Stage wins	460
Total points	853
First rally	1998 Swedish Rally
First win	2002 Rally GB
Last win	2005 Rally GB
Last rally	2019 Wales Rally GB

Petter Solberg (born 18 November 1974) is a famous Norwegian former professional rally and rallycross driver. He was nicknamed "Mr. Hollywood" for his exciting driving style and personality.

Solberg is a legend in motorsport. He is the first driver ever to win world championships in two different FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) sports. He won the World Rally Championship in 2003 and later won the FIA World Rallycross Championship in 2014 and 2015.

He began his World Rally Championship (WRC) career in 1998. He drove for major factory teams like Ford and Subaru. After Subaru left the WRC, Solberg even started his own team, the Petter Solberg World Rally Team.

In 2013, he switched to rallycross and quickly found success. He created the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team with Volkswagen Motorsport and won the Team's Championship in 2017 and 2018 before retiring from full-time racing.

His son, Oliver Solberg, is also a professional rally driver, following in his father's footsteps.

Racing Career
Personal Life
WRC Victories
Images for kids
See also

Racing Career

How It All Started

Petter Solberg grew up around cars. His parents were both motorsport fans and competed in bilcross, a popular and affordable type of rallycross in Norway. From a young age, Petter helped his parents rebuild their race cars on the family farm.

At just 13 years old, he won a national championship for remote-controlled cars. He started racing real cars as soon as he got his driver's license at 18. He quickly became the Norwegian champion in both rallycross and hillclimb in 1995 and 1996. By 1998, he was the Norwegian Rally Champion.

World Rally Championship (WRC)

The Subaru Years (2000–2008)

Solberg at the 2001 Rally Finland.

After a short time with Ford, Solberg joined the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) in 2000. This was the start of a very successful partnership. In 2002, he won his first WRC event at the Wales Rally GB.

The next year, 2003, was his biggest moment. Solberg won the Drivers' World Championship, becoming the first Norwegian ever to do so. He beat future legend Sébastien Loeb to claim the title.

In 2004 and 2005, Solberg continued to race hard, finishing as the runner-up in the championship both years. He won a total of 13 rallies with Subaru, but his last win with the team was in 2005. The team struggled in the following years, and Subaru decided to leave the WRC after the 2008 season.

The Privateer Years (2009–2011)

Solberg driving a Citroën Xsara WRC at the 2009 Cyprus Rally.

When Subaru left, Solberg was without a team. But he didn't give up. He created his own team, the Petter Solberg World Rally Team (PSWRT). He bought his own Citroën Xsara WRC and hired his own mechanics and engineers.

Racing for his own team, he proved he could still compete with the best. He achieved several podium finishes, which is a huge accomplishment for a private team. In 2010, driving a Citroën C4 WRC, he finished third in the overall championship standings.

Return to Ford (2012)

In 2012, Solberg made a comeback to a factory team, rejoining the Ford World Rally Team. He had a strong season, finishing on the podium five times. He ended the year in fifth place in the championship. After this season, Solberg decided to leave the WRC and try something new.

Rallycross Champion (2013–2018)

Solberg won the first FIA World Rallycross Championship with his PSRX Citroën DS3 Supercar.

In 2013, Solberg switched to the FIA European Rallycross Championship. The next year, the sport was upgraded to the FIA World Rallycross Championship (WRX), and Solberg was ready.

He won the very first WRX championship in 2014, making history as the first driver to hold FIA world titles in two different kinds of motorsport. He won the title again in 2015, proving his amazing skill and ability to adapt.

From 2017 to 2018, he partnered with Volkswagen to create the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team. The team was incredibly successful, winning the Team's Championship two years in a row. Solberg's teammate, Johan Kristoffersson, won the driver's title, while Petter continued to get podium finishes.

Retirement and Farewell Tour

Petter Solberg leads Johan Kristoffersson at Lydden Hill RX 2017

Petter Solberg retired from full-time racing at the end of 2018. In 2019, he did a "Farewell Tour," competing in a few of his favorite events one last time. He won his final WRC event in his category at the Wales Rally GB, the same rally where he got his first-ever WRC win.

Today, Petter supports his son, Oliver Solberg, who is now a driver in the World Rally Championship. In 2022, Petter and Oliver teamed up to win the Nations Cup at the Race of Champions for Team Norway.

Personal Life

Solberg was born in Askim, Norway. His older brother, Henning Solberg, is also a successful rally driver.

Petter is married to Pernilla Solberg from Sweden. Pernilla was also a talented rally driver and is the daughter of the 1980 European Rallycross Champion, Per-Inge Walfridsson. They have one son, Oliver, who continues the family's racing legacy.

After he stopped racing full-time, Solberg was diagnosed with ADHD.

WRC Victories

No.	Event	Season	Co-driver	Car
1	58th Network Q Rally of Great Britain	2002	Phil Mills	Subaru Impreza WRC02
2	31st Cyprus Rally	2003		Subaru Impreza WRC03
3	16th Telstra Rally Australia
4	47ème Tour de Corse – Rallye de France
5	59th Wales Rally of Great Britain
6	34th Propecia Rally New Zealand	2004		Subaru Impreza WRC04
7	51st Acropolis Rally
8	1st Rally Japan
9	60th Wales Rally of Great Britain
10	1º Supermag Rally d'Italia Sardinia
11	54th Uddeholm Swedish Rally	2005
12	19º Corona Rally México			Subaru Impreza WRC05
13	61st Wales Rally of Great Britain			Subaru Impreza WRC05