Solberg: summer holiday will have to wait

Petter Solberg says he has been so focused on his FIA World Rally Championship campaign with the factory Ford squad that he hasn’t even considered taking a holiday during the summer break.

Solberg, from Norway, is still in contention for a second drivers’ crown after scoring his fourth podium finish of the season on Brother Rally New Zealand last month. However, he believes any outside distractions could harm his campaign.

“I haven’t thought about holidays, to be honest,” said the 2003 world title winner. “I have been completely focused on rallying recently. I will probably follow my son, Oliver, a bit in his Cross Kart, but really that is it because I want to concentrate 100 per cent on rallying.”

Solberg hasn’t won a world championship rally since 2005 but insists he will be doing all he can to end that sequence during the remaining six rounds of the 2012 season.

“I need to keep on pushing and we have to try to focus on winning rallies,” said Solberg. “If [Sebastien] Loeb makes a mistake, then that is our opportunity. You have to win to get the amount of points needed to overtake Loeb.”

Neste Oil Rally Finland takes place from 2-4 August.