Acknowledging that the dearth of available seats is 'a problem' for him, the 34-year-old refused to comment on rumours linking him to reprising his relationship with Subaru through the Adapta World Rally Team – 'I can't talk about that for several reasons' – but confirmed that his immediate focus is on clinching a deal for his home outing…even if he has to drag his old Volvo out for the occasion if all else fails.

“Maybe I'll have to take my Toyota Celica or my Volvo back into the championship for Rally Norway!” he quipped. “Maybe I will bring the Celica, you never know…”

Beyond that, when considering the future of the WRC following Subaru and Suzuki's departure, Solberg is adamant that if more manufacturers' are not to follow suit and drag the championship down with them, their concerns and desires must be recognised by those in charge.

“Honestly, I don't care where it goes,” he responded when asked about the change to Super 2000 regulations in 2010, “except for the fact that they have to do the right thing for the manufacturers and for what they want and what the spectators want. We need to make it the best for everybody so we can get more manufacturers in. If something is what the manufacturers want, do it!”

by Russell Atkins

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