Solberg happy with third place

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson scored another podium this weekend, taking third overall in the Rally de France.

The Citroën privateer joined the factory drivers Sebastien Loeb – crowned World Champion for the seventh time in a row – and Dani Sordo on the podium.

It was a tough weekend for all the crews as they faced muddy and slippery roads throughout the rally. Solberg did well in these conditions, despite needing a bit of time to find his rhythm and the perfect settings on his car.

“I am really happy about the result this weekend”, said Petter. “We didn’t get to test on muddy conditions before the rally, so it took us some time to figure out the perfect set up. But on Saturday evening we found it and, from then, we have been on the pace. It feels quite good to be here on the podium today, together with the two Citroën drivers, and I have really enjoyed the fight this weekend. Have to admit that I thought Latvala would catch up on us when we went off and lost some time on the second stage today, but luckily he didn’t.”

Next event is Rally Spain, 22 – 24 October. This is another tarmac event, but it also includes gravel stages on the Friday.