Like father, like stepson in the WRC

Henning Solberg will go up against his stepson Pontus Tidemand on Rally Sweden next month when the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia heads to the frozen stages of Scandinavia from 9-12 February.

Tidemand, the reigning Swedish rally champion, is the 21-year-old son of Solberg’s wife Maud. He comes from the Varmland region of Sweden where the country’s WRC qualifier is based. It will be the rising star’s debut in the series. He will drive a Skoda Fabia Super 2000.

“Rally Sweden is of course special for me,” said Tidemand who will form part of the FIA Institute Academy training scheme in 2012. “It’s run on my home turf, is extremely exciting and a great experience for the spectators. I have competed on parts of the route, as part of the national championship the last two years, and it’s going to be great fun to finally compete the entire event.”

Tidemand was actually the first driver to submit his entry for Rally Sweden, which counts as round two of the 2012 WRC season. However, main focus this year will be the defence of his domestic title.

Solberg, meanwhile, will tackle the event in a Go Fast Energy World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC, which will give him a performance advantage over Tidemand. The opening day’s stages take place predominantly in Solberg’s native Norway.