Will Oliver Solberg be at the start of Monte-Carlo?

The signature ofOtt Tänak in M-Sport put an end to the rumor announcing the creation of a team bringing together the Estonian and Oliver Solberg under the same colors. They should have raced on hybrid Ford Pumas incubated by Markko Märtin's Red Gray team. If there was a shred of truth in that plan, it fell through, taking with it one of the few chances for the Swede to continue racing in Rally1 in 2023. Hyundai having decided to put it aside to turn to more experienced drivers, the opportunities for the Nordic hopeful were in fact reduced to this assembly permitted by his sponsors or to the rental of the 4^e Yaris for some tests. Given the cost of this last track, a return to Rally2 seemed more credible and the Solberg family undoubtedly immediately considered it. It was not for nothing that the phone rang at Toksport, one of the major teams running Fabias in the world, just a few minutes after Oliver lost the support of Hyundai.

Oliver Solberg has already made appearances in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 in WRC in 2020 (Photo Paulo Maria / DPPI)

The realization of such a program has gained further depth with the Scandinavian's first laps in the new RS Rally2 the day after the rally Hivernal du Dévoluy where Nikolay Gryazin won with this car. With Toksport and the Skoda already in the south of France, the opportunity was too good. It would be logical to think that Solberg will be at the start of the Monte-Carlo, but neither Oliver nor his father who was present have confirmed this. They also maintain the mystery regarding the number of appearances. Will he only do the 7 required rounds in WRC2? Should he aim for the title or should he concentrate on those that will be on the calendar in the future (Safari, Japan, etc.)? If he wants to continue his learning and gain experience for the rest of his career, shouldn't the 22-year-old aspirant try to participate in as many events as possible, including the very specific Monte-Carlo? The closing date for entries is scheduled for January 16. Torsby's family still has a few days to decide.