Rally GB 2009
- I am very pleased with the result here. The car worked good, and considering I didn’t test in wet conditions, the weekend has been fantastic. I’ve been improving the whole weekend, and we had some really fast splits at the end. I want to thank Citroën for giving me this opportunity, and my fantastic team for their effort. It was too bad we were so unlucky yesterday, and I tried really hard today to beat Sordo, but it just wasn’t enough, said Petter Solberg after the finish.
It has been a thrilling weekend here in Wales, with Petter and Phil in a C4 on gravel for the first time, chasing manufacturer points for the Citroën Junior Team. The weather conditions have been typical Welsh, with rain, wind and fog on the stages, causing very muddy and slippery roads. A problem with the windscreen wipers cost them some time on Saturday, along with a couple of driver mistakes, but yet they managed to end the rally in fourth place.
The winner of Rally GB is Sebastien Loeb, who then became the World Champion for the sixth time. Mikko Hirvonen has been fighting with Loeb this weekend for both the Championship and the rally, but had to let it go on the final stage when the bonnet came loose on his car. Dani Sordo ended third.
The World Rally Championship 2009 is now completed, and the next season kicks off in Sweden in February 2010.
Overall Classification Rally GB 2009
1. Sebastien Loeb, Citroën
2. Mikko Hirvonen, Ford +1.06,1
3. Dani Sordo, Citroën +1.07,1
4. Petter Solberg, Citroën +1.28,1
5. Henning Solberg, Ford +6.28,0
6. Matthew Wilson, Ford +7.46,0
7. Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford +12.11,9
8. Conrad Rautenbach, Citroën +14.27,8
Still a great effort, in a new car. Let us look forward to next year. We really do hope we will see you and your team again at the Ashgrove Inn.
(Click on my name, and it will all be revealed).
Excelent race Petter and Phill, two 4 place whit a new car, it´s amacing, the next year you would be the champion CONGRATULATIONS, to bad for Mikko ani way. Felicidades PSWRT all crew, yours familys and sponsor´s for suport this 2009 season. THANK´S FOR AMAICING SEASON, see you the next year whit a nunber 5 in your window.
Saludos desde Bolivia
Congratulations for this 4éme place !
The next season will be even better !
A big bravo to the team of fg racing ….
Congratulations for very good results and exciting entertainment to the whole PSWRT.
I look forward to an exciting 2010 season.
“Congratulations” a job well done to all at PSWRT you all done a awesome job this weekend and kept us fans on our toes in the rain and mud, So I hope to see petter & phil and the team next year in the WRC because it would be boring with out you all.
with the right equipment at your disposal, you’ve shown us you can be as fast as anyone else out there. impress us the next year!
Well done Petter and Phil. 10 points in 2 rallies with a new car is great. Hopefully with some more time in the car under your belt over the winter you can really challenge for a place in the top 3. You have a great team behind you and some amazing fans. Next year is the last for the current WRC cars, and it is time to show the rallying world that it is not just the works cars to look out for. Everyone should keep their eyes out for the black and silver C4 roaring through the stages.
Never give up!
Daniel
Hi Petter and Phil,
You did wonderful job not only GB but all rallies in this year! You got over a lot of difficulties and showed me the spilits of “Never give up!”. I really respect you!
Now,2009 season has completed.Have a great time with your family!
with love,
Kazuko
Great job all at PSWRT! Here’s to next year!!
Alll the best
T
Well done Petter and Phil!
Well done PSWRT!!!
You all made a fantastic and exciting work,you are the best my friend!!!
We are so proud of you and we wish you the best thing for next year.
Elda and family from Argentina.
Nice job petter hope to see you next year with more motivation. Can you change color of your helmet to white i thik that will help a lot but it’s up to you. I personally feel that FORD RALLY TEAM is going to give you a works drive.
Gratulerer med 4. plassen. Veldig bra!!!
Tusen takk får et fantastisk rally år! Gleder meg til 2010. Får da blir du nr. 1!!!
Well done Petter and Phil…..what a great season for PSWRT! Awesome achievement!
All the best
Hilary
Good rally with the new car well done to team PSWRT, Roger
I am not going to flatter you Petter. Let’s be honest: you have not the speed you had anymore! There are no more excuses. You drove the most competitive car in a rally you know and like the best, and you (again) finished just fourth… You did not even manage to beat Sordo! You did not even manage to win a single stage!!!
So, please, be honest to yourself! You are not the Solberg of 2003 or 2004 anymore! It’s not the car Petter… It’s you.
I’ve been following PSWRT since Feb and I too used to think the same until I saw some of the performances in the Xsara. Lying 2nd in Finland etc with a 2005 spec car? Superb.
You’re being a bit harsh George. This is the first outing on gravel in a C4(is it not a 08 spec car not 09?) which is longer etc than the xsara if memory serves me correct.
There was time lost with the wipers and the slippy conditions didn’t help as they weren’t tested on. Just look where Latvala was and he’s a ‘factory’ driver and in the car for several years.
Next year I can see PSWRT challenging for the championship and if not then you may be right George but I think and hope you’ll be wrong.
WRC needs teams like PSWRT and now with a competitive car ‘anything is possible’.
Not since the days of McRae have I been logging on at work etc to find out the latest news so for me lets hope next year is even better.
I wish you are right Fitz and I am wrong. I wish I am very wrong.
But I just got angry with Petter’s last performance.
I really miss the guy of 2003, 2004 and even 2005 when all the other drivers just couldn’t explain how he did that fast times in certain rallies or stages. I really miss the guy who, even if he was losing the championship, he was winning more stages than anybody else with record times…
What I’m surprised by is that Petter managed to win 4 stages in Spain, but not even one in GB. Still, a very good performance I think, and a lot of potential for the 2010 season.
Dont forget guys, that this isnt a manufacturer based team with endless amounts of money! Getting to the finish is better than crashing out and losing hundreds of thousands of euros. (There will be sponsors to appease etc etc)
Petter did well ( check out the individual stage times ) and it shows – on Saturday and Sunday they were consistently in the top 4 – and even the top 2 – of stage times.
Seb and Mikko were well over the limit in attacking (As was Latvala judging from his incident on Rheola), but these guys arent going to be paying for the car if they crash it.
Give Petter time, first outing on gravel in the C4 (which is mechanically different to the Xsara) and 4th place – i think the guy deserves a medal!
C4 next year I think Petter and we will see you challenging Seb and Mikko for the title!
Petter, Phil, and the entire PSWRT…..an excellent end to a challenging season. I can guarantee your fans are more than proud with what you have accomplished this year. If that c4 had been underneath throughout the championship it would have been two wins easy……maybe more? probably more!
I’d also like to point out the obvious…..PETTER, PHIL, AND THE PSWRT SCORED FIFTH PLACE OVER-ALL IN THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 2009…..THEY MISSED TWO EVENTS…AND PETTER FUNDED AND ORGANISED HIS OWN DAMN TEAM. HOW AMAZING IS THAT? WHO ELSE OUT THERE WOULD HAVE PULLED THIS OFF? WHO?!
….and to all here who feel the need to nay say. Read my last capitalised paragraph again. For years Petter and Phil have been relegated to driving for Subaru as a result of contractual obligation, while I certainly applaud Petter and Phil’s willingness to continue with and loyalty to the SWRT, IT WAS NOT PETTER AND PHIL’S FAULT SUBARU LOST THE ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT A COMPETITIVE CAR. The accomplishments achieved by the PSWRT in the 2009 are beyond World Champion status…..it’s without doubt, the stuff of legend.
Keep it up Petter and Phil….2010 has the potential for greatness!
[...] Rally GB 2009 – Petter Solberg has to be a happy man. After the drama surrounding his future in the sport, the former World Champ settled with Citroen and finished the 2009 season strong at Wales Rally GB. He was forced to finish fourth after flirting with the podium all weekend. [...]
Petter,
I for one was very disappointed by the result at the weekend. To be honest 4th place is not the result I, and many other people were expecting with the world champions car. You are still the showman, but this is nothing without raw speed and results.
I remember spectating on Port Talbot in 2006, when you were in the Subaru, an uncompetitive car to say the least. I was blown away by the speed you were carrying from the flat out straight through the following right/ left combination, it was truly breathtaking. This year I decided to go back to that magical spot.
I didn’t feel as though you had the same passion to attack the section, and risk it all on the stages, that I had once before.
I don’t know what your plans are for next year, but I think it is time for you to reflect and decide how much you really want it…
Petter,
Got to agree with some of the other guys I think, in the fact that you don’t attack and go as fast as you used to. I too remember 2006 when you went so fast trying to drag out every bit of speed from the Impreza, all the way to third.
All of us thought a win was on the cards for Wales, even a few stage wins maybe, you were in the world champions car that has won so many rallies this year, but nothing.
Petter, I don’t think you are not fast anymore. I think that the passion is not as much as it used to be, we do want to see you fighting for the world championships next year Petter, so get back whatever it was you had in the old days!
Jake
Considering the excellent results that the private team PSWRT has had during 2009 fighting against all the economical obstacles and doing all the effort each member of the team, specially his driver and owner of the team: Petter, I can say: CONGRATULATION.
It has been an excellent year for the team and you could show to everybody that “It is possible”. Now everybody knows when each member give the best, there is no impossible objective to beat and each energy invested in the team, worth it!!
It is not usual to see people working in a team with so much responsibility and commitment doing all with so much passion and love, added to the great skills and talent of Petter and Phil.
It is really a shame that my English is so poor, but everybody who knows me that I’m so proud of you.
I’m so proud to belong to Petter Solberg Supporter Club.
I send you many greetings to each member of this fantastic team. I’m so grateful to God to have given me the opportunity to meet in Argentina Rally all of you.
Congratulations again!
Elda from Argentina
I think some people are missing a VERY important point here. When the 2009 season started, Petter did not even have a car! I think, what he has achieved this year is beyond belief, really. OK, there are some new kids on the block, but Petter has proved he should still be counted with. Yes, I thought he could get at least a few stage-wins in Wales, but at least he was there, or there about at EVERY SINGLE STAGE. I bet both Ford and Citroen will go out of their way to get him on board for next season, wonder why?
Well done, Petter, Phil, Ken, Lorraine and the whole PSWRT The fans are used to see you winning, and they will see that again, dont worry.
Petter is fast and an entertainer for sure.
When you became world champion in 2003 color of your helmet was white so switch to white again.
Hey please don’t forget greece where PETTER all most beat Mikko by 20 seconds on one stage.
At last some decent debate !
Well the speed shall have to be judged on the 2010 WRC. I do see that there are 4 tarmac rounds (I think?) though which will undoubtedly favour Loeb/Sordo though.
Can anyone remember Pannizi in the 206 on tarmac?
I still chuckle at that on youtube.
I.
Some of you guys think that Petter has lost his speed because he does not attack like a mad man on every stage.
I totally disagree with you, Petter have finally realised that you cant win a rally from a ditch.
The period when he almost never finished a rally in the Subaru because he was always driving on the limit to make up time on the other guys was for me a low point in his carer because for me a great driver is one that uses the car he is driving to its fullest potential like Loeb is a master at, not someone that drives it beyond the limit and crashes almost before the rally starts.
Petter have become a lot smarter and complete as a driver the last years.
I was also expecting him to do even better i Wales, but if you look at it his pace was good enough for a place at the podium in his first race in a new car on gravel.
He could of cource attacked like crasy on the last stages to beat Sordo but in my opinion he had a lot to loose if he by doing so crashed out of the rally.
My predictions for next season is that it will be between the 4 top finishers in Wales, will Petter be world champion i doubt it.
He has a budget that is microskopic compared to the others and because of this he will have inferior equipment, not by much but i belive enough to not be able to win the WRC title but im sure as hell going to enjoy watching him try and maybe prove me wrong:-)
Good luck Petter im definatly a fan and im going to use your own words to everyone that have doubted you: Up yours!!
Finally there is some people on this blog who share the same views as me. I have mentioned a few times this year that petter does not have it anymore.
1. last year atko was consistently faster than petter in the subaru
2. Marcus showed what the S14 could do. Something that petter couldnt.
3. then there was teh BS that the xsara was too old, so people gave petter the benefit of doubt.
4. In the C4, still no change. 4th
As well as people on this blog, petter too buys into his own hype. Always going on about what he will achieve. I seen an interview on tv at the weekend after 4 or 5 stages of GB. petter said he wasnt too far behind mikko so he was pushing for 2nd. What a laugh. he wasnt in a ass’s roar of mikko or sebs pace.
1 Atko in a C4 straight into a telegraph pole in Ireland sideways then nothing. Rumour about Monster energy drink sponsorship in a Focus.
2 Yeah but the S14 then broke and Marcus never came back out in it. ( I wonder why?-Did he come out and say it was any good?)
3 It was old. Was it not down on power on the newer cars and even using a litre of oil each day.
4 In his first tarmac and then gravel rally 4th. Where was Latvala or the other great hope Wilson?
Next year will be make or break.
I.
Hello guys!in this occasion the people that had to drive to the limits was Loeb and Sordo.
This end of championship was not such easy for Loeb, less even for Dani that in their own country he had to give his place so that Loeb takes the top according a “team order”.
Without this “team order” today Mikko would be surely the champion.
In Wales Petter was punctuating for the junior team and I think he should not pass to Dani, I am sure that Petter was not driving to the limit like crazy, (in that thing you are right), but remember that there are many eyes looking for him.
I think he should also take care the car much than always and to finish the rally since Ojier had to abandon the rally.
This is my point of view and I admire what Petter and his own team made during the whole year. Check out the Petter´s position along this year and re-member that in the beginning of the year he didn’t have car to run. They were really admirable and with an old car. Look… it is very easy to say many opinion from out side, but it is necessary “never forget” that who drives the car is a human not a machine and he knows which are his own limits.
Sorry for my bad English
Many greetings to all.
Elda
With a fan like ELDA, who can go wrong?
What a great effort from all in PSWRT this year. they have done a fantastic job mixing it with the “big boys” keeping them on their toes and threatening all the way. Giving Petter a hard time for that is harsh, hes had fastest stage times this year and he is still one of the best drivers in the world. He had to wring the neck of that works Subaru for years trying to overcome all of its faults sometimes ending up in a ditch with nothing but bruises to show for it, on one rally I saw him with a suspected broken rib and still he went out and pushed, this year hes challenged at the highest level, kept it on the track and got top results. Great effort and results, best wishes to everyone at PSWRT
Well what an eventful year you and the the Team have had !!
You must be the only true Private Team to have completed the WRC.
FANTASTIC ! Congratulations to everybody.
Let’s hope something good comes along for 2010.
Best Wishes – and Merry Christmas !
Paul York. UK.
Thank’s Petter and all the Team because we have been living beautiful moments during the 2009 season.
Congratulations to Petter / Pernilla , Phil, and all members of PSWRT of having done a fantastic job!.
Congratulations to our boys french of FG Racing: Jean Philippe, Stéphane, Maxime, for work done on the field but also for a big work done between each race of the championship.
To all of you!!, we wish you the best for 2010 on the WRC circuit.
Val.
Chris,
In response to your points, here are some FACTS.
1.Chris was faster until he crashed. Petter KNEW the limit of that awful car, and knew that if he pushed harder, he would go off. Chris still hasn’t won a rally; he’s a young driver trying to prove himself.
2. Marcus had an S14 B (new dampers, completely new steering system and front end geometry); which is EXACTLY what Petter asked for. If you look at the on-board footage, it was still a “typical” S14 crash; it got to a point and then just flies off the road; remarkably similar to most of Chris’ crashes.
3. I know for a fact that the Xsara was a 2001; NOT an ’06- and he didn’t have the same engine maps.
4. It was fourth on the result; but if you count the 14.2 seconds stuck in a ditch, 26 seconds for the wiper failure, and the fact they tested in dry, warm conditions (Petter was coming through a cloud of his own dust coming back to service) and getting used to the car, plus it’s an ’08 spec C4- NOT the spec that Loeb and Sordo have.
5. You say that Petter “couldn’t even beat Sordo”- Sordo is a damn good driver. He is faster than Loeb on tarmac. Remember Spain? It’s clear that Dani had to slow down for Loeb.
Steffan interesting points.
1 I agree.
2 Interesting, didn’t know it had all those changes.
3 I’m sure it was a 2001 shell to start with but was reshelled into a 2005 shell.
4 Yip lost a bit of time with these issues and yes it was an 08 I believe although I don’t know what the exact differences are and what effect they have.
5 Sordo is close but he’s not faster. Can you remember the roundabout issue in Cyprus.
Good point though.
I.
grande petter,demostrastes lo que vales,me gustaria que hablases con subaru y consigas la evolucion del 2009,y formes equipo con marcus y raikkonen.estas muy identificado con la marca por favor.hace volar el impreza vamos
Guys, what Petter has achieved this year is one thing, and his “speed” is another thing.
I fully agree that he is admirable for establishing a private team from zero and achieving some good results with an old car. But that’s it! Is this all you expect from him?
Petter was never a faultless driver, but in certain periods of his carreer he was by far the fastest! And this is what really counts for me. Not the number of rally wins but the raw speed!
And unfortunately, for me, Petter has lost either his speed, or his self-confidence!
Well Said George. Im not knocking petter for setting up his own. In fact he must have worked his ass off to get it up and running along with all his backers and others. However, my problem with petter is that he talks too much. I read an article in a newspaper last week kind of taking a shot at petter. Petter would do well to remember that “when the flag drops the bullsh%t stops”. Petter talks himself up too much. And no matter what people say or wish for, he does not have the speed anymore and he cant accept that. always making excuses.And Steffan. Sordo is alrite, not a “damn good driver” tho. Do you think if Loeb thought there was goin to be no team orders he would have still being slower. yeah rite!!!
Well-Petter.
All you have to do is to prove them wrong.
I cannot wait to see what car you will drive next WRC-season.
Cliff Mainwaring (manager at Walters Arena) said he had NEVER seen anybody attack a particular bend the way you did during testing up there! NEVER!
Lost the speed, doubt it, that extra speed comes from the car, not the driver. Never give up!
(Click on my name, and it wil all be revealed).
GO PETTER GO !!!!!!
My English is bad, is of Cordova, Argentina and would want to ask to them that they add to his page the Castilian language or as many call Spanish. Here to petter has many fans! My greetings to Petter Solberg World Team Rally! I number one!
Dario.
Córdoba, Argentina.