Solberg on a high

Petter Solberg says confidence gained behind the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC will make him a genuine contender for victory on Rallye de France Alsace this week.

Solberg is still chasing his first win in the FIA World Rally Championship with the factory Ford team but has high hopes starting the Strasbourg-based contest today.

“We had a good set-up in Germany and we improved a little bit more in the last test, which has made the car easier to drive,” said the Norwegian, the 2003 world champion. “It’s just the small things but when you slide the car it has better control and this gives you a better feeling and more confidence.”

He continued: “I was leading last year before I had a puncture so you should never say never. Everybody says it’s Sebastien Loeb’s rally and he will take it but I will try. If you don’t try you have nothing to do in the championship.”

Solberg is part of a Ford team buoyed by Jari-Matti Latvala’s victory on the last round in Great Britain. Squad boss Malcolm Wilson said: “It was a big boost the GB win. Because of the bad luck we’ve had this season I was expecting something to go wrong but it was a class act.”