Home advantage paid dividends for Henning Solberg as the 60th Rally Sweden played host to the Norwegian’s first points scoring finish of the season. After 349.16 competitive kilometres, Solberg and co-driver Ilka Minor secured seventh place overall in their Ford Fiesta RS WRC and a strong finish for the Go Fast Energy supported driver.
Hampered by poor road position, Solberg had to cope with copious amounts of snow on the stages making it difficult for the tungsten-tipped studs of his Michelin winter tyres to bite into the frozen road surface. With poor grip the Norwegian was unable to catch a charging Sébastien Loeb.
Nevertheless, securing seventh place overall, Solberg secured his first points of the season and will be looking for much of the same as the season heads to Mexico for the third round of the season.
Henning Solberg (7th) said: “It has been a very nice rally for me. To come here with no testing and get a good few points is really very good for me and the team so I’m very happy.”