Petter to hold ‘shoot-out’ for co-driver

Former World Rally Champion Petter Solberg is aiming to have decided on his co-driver for the rest of the season by Monday, after evaluating three potential candidates in a shoot-out for the job.

Solberg will drive with each person for a short while, to give himself a feel of how they perform under pressure.

The Citroen privateer commented: “It’s probably not fair to talk about who these people are until the situation is clear, but this is my idea. I’ve got a few people who could do it, but it’s a difficult task and very hard to know what is the correct decision.”

One of Solberg’s priorities is thought to be saving some weight inside the car. Phil Mills, who unexpectedly quit as the Norwegian’s co-driver two weeks ago, was one of the heavier navigators in the field.

By contrast, Solberg asked the diminutive Gianni Bernacchini to take Mills’ place when the split was announced, but Bernacchini was unable to accept the role because of his existing commitment to Nasser Al Attiyah. Solberg also investigated the possibility of hiring Toshi Arai’s co-driver, Daniel Barritt, who is on the small side as well.

“Weight is important, but it also needs to be someone who I have a good feeling with and who has a nice voice, with a good way of reading the notes,” added Solberg. “One thing’s for sure: it’s going to be very difficult to replace Phil. Whoever steps into his job is going to need big shoes.”

Solberg refused to be drawn as to whether or not the co-driver change would affect his own performance, after competing for 11 years with Phil Mills. “I really just don’t know,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you only find out when it happens. But in all the time I’ve been rallying, there have always big stories and dramas and you learn to move on.”