Solberg up for the challenge
Ford racer Petter Solberg is expecting a tough examination of his skills during the Rally of Argentina.
Last Updated: 26/04/12 3:19pm
Ford's Petter Solberg believes changes made to the next round of the World Rally Championship in Argentina will make the race more difficult for the drivers.
Solberg, 37, sits second in the drivers' standings after securing three podium finishes in the opening four rallies of the year and he is looking forward to the weekend's race in South America, which has been extended from previous years.
"I enjoy this rally but I think it could be quite different this year," he told wrc.com.
"It's 120 kilometres longer than in 2011 and that may alter the way in which some drivers approach it. It's not a sprint, it's an endurance rally.
"There's no need to get too excited too early and attack from the start, so I can wait a little, judge the pace and push later on when I need to."
The Norweigian came close to securing victory in the Rally of Argentina last year and he will be looking to pick up enough points this weekend to overhaul championship leader Sebastien Loeb.
Mistakes
He said: "The final day's stages are at high altitude and conditions can be bad up there. Fog and even ice are not unusual. But I love it, partly because of the atmosphere. The stages are packed with people and even the liaison sections on the public roads have huge crowds. They're so enthusiastic."
M-Sport Ford driver Evgeny Novikov echoed Solberg's opinion on the difficulty of the race but the 21-year-old said he will be looking to build on his first ever WRC podium in Portugal at the start of the month.
"There is no question that this will be a very difficult rally and it will be a real challenge just to make it to the finish," he said.
"Our confidence is on a high after our second place in Portugal so we'll be looking to push in Argentina. The aim will be to make as few mistakes as possible to secure another top-five result."
Novikov revealed his race in Portugal pleased a lot of people back in his native Russia.
He said: "Our podium was very well received back home in Russia, everyone was very happy.
"Lots of people came to meet me at the airport and we have had a lot of coverage in the newspapers, on television and on the radio too.
"(Russian Formula One driver) Vitaly Petrov also sent me his congratulations - it has been a very nice couple of weeks."
