Henning Solberg says he needs to make changes to his Ford Fiesta RS WRC in order to drive the car to its full potential.
Solberg finished sixth on Rally Guanajuato Mexico despite being hampered by a powersteering fault during the second day of the event.
However, the need to drive in a more aggressive manner, as is required by the new-generation World Rally Cars, doesn’t sit comfortably with Solberg, who said he would have to adapt his Fiesta’s set-up rather than alter his driving style.
“I cannot drive the car like this and I need to have the car working for me because I cannot change my driving style,” said the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team driver. “There is not a problem with the car but I have to change the differentials and the set-up so it is fixed up for my driving style. I will be faster when that happens.”
Solberg, who was co-driven by Austrian Ilka Minor, finished the event with blisters on his hands, a legacy of completing six stages with no powersteering. He also suffered a problem with his Fiesta’s front-right brake cylinder on Sunday morning, which he had to repair himself, and had to change the alternator belt on the road section heading to stage 21.
“This is how things go in rallying but we’ve managed to stay on the road,” said the 38-year-old. “I tried my best just to finish and for sure, I have learned a lot about the car this weekend. We wanted to make a big push in the Power Stage and to go flat out but we will have to wait until Portugal.
“My hands are hurting and I’m exhausted after the stages but I’m okay now. But I’m not in such a bad condition physically and it’s good to have some points. We have a test before Portugal when I hope we can get the car working for me.”
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
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