Solberg Contemplates WRC Retirement for 2011

After more than 12 years in the World Rally Championship, it seems that Petter Solberg had finally gotten tired of the rallying world. What we're reporting now is not a withdrawal from the rallying scene however, but rather a potential sabbatical from the Norwegian driver, former champion of the series in 2003.

The reason is not so much related to rallying itself but to the difficulty in finding the necessary sponsorship to secure an all-round campaign in the WRC. Ever since Subaru left the championship at the end of 2008, Solberg has been struggling to find sponsors everywhere for his own-developed Petter Solberg World Rally Team, finally securing a privateer deal with Citroen for 2010.

As far as the 2011 season is concerned, the man himself admitted he has grown tired of chasing sponsors everywhere during the winter break.

“I'm tired of having to chase the deals. For the last two years, I have been on planes and in meetings non-stop. And when I haven't been doing that, I've been driving, testing and working with the team,” said Solberg, according to Autosport.

“I feel like I haven't seen my family for two years. I don't think it's fair to carry on like this. I want to go to a manufacturer team and I want to fight, that's all,” he added.

Despite running on a privateer Citroen C4 WRC in 2010, Solberg always made his title intentions very clear to the media. The Norwegian driver fought for rally wins every time he got the chances and it eventually paid off with a remarkable 3rd place overall, only 2 points behind runner-up Jari-Matti Latvala.

As for the future, Solberg hinted that sportscar racing (Le Mans Series) could become an option for the upcoming year, with a possibility to race in the US also on the horizon.