The organisers of the Rally Norway have confirmed that they have received close to 50 entries, including Subaru refugee Petter Solberg.

At the close of entries today [Tuesday, January 13], Petter was on the list for the second round in the WRC but without a specified car.

The Norwegian, who won the world championship in 2003 and who has been left in the lurch after Subaru's sudden decision to axe its World Rally Championship programme, has got the okay from the FIA to notify them of this information at a later date.

"Today I can confirm my entry for Rally Norway, without a car, but with Phil [Mills] as my co-driver," 'Hollywood' told his personal website. "I'm still working flat out to find a solution regarding the car, and will let you know as soon as I have more news."

Other WRC runners include Citroen's Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Sordo, as well as BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.

Petter's brother Henning Solberg will also be in action, along with fellow countrymen Mads Østberg and Anders Grøndal.

Andreas Mikkelsen meanwhile will take in the round, although not in his usual Ramsport-run Ford Focus RS WRC. Instead the youngest ever points scorer in the history of the WRC, who caught the rally world's attention last year with a fifth place finish in Sweden, will be gunning for honours in the Production Car World Rally Championship category entered in a Subaru Impreza N14.

Mikkelsen will go up against the likes of Patrik Flodin, Patrik Sandell, Martin Prokop, Sveinung Bieltvedt, Eyvind Brynildsen, Anders Kjær, Øyvind Sulland and Bernt Kollevold.

In total the start list includes drivers from twenty nations as well as ten Norwegians and several participants in the much-speculated new S2000-cars.

"It's no great surprise that we have fewer entrants than in 2007, but having said that we actually have more four-wheel drive cars this year," said Rally Norway's clerk of the course, Stig Rune Kjernsli. "We have a very good quality start list and it's a good signal that Rally Norway has more than matched the start list of WRC season opener Rally Ireland."