Follow us today...
Subaru Motorsports gets a lot younger with the new addition of 17-year-old Oliver Solberg, son of Subaru World Rally Team legend Petter Solberg. The young Solberg will behind the wheel of a 2019 Subaru WRX STI Rally car and will join David Higgins and Travis Pastrana for six of the American Rally Association (ARA) stage rally events.
His famous father drove a blue and gold Subaru Impreza when he won the 2003 World Rally Championship. “I don’t think anybody could begin to understand what a big deal this is for me,” said Oliver. “I was two years old when my father was World Rally Champion and remember so well how proud I was of dad wearing blue and yellow and driving a car of the same color. I even still today have the Subaru bed sheets.
Oliver Solberg has rally racing in his blood and was recently crowned RallyX Nordic champion, has seen success in Crosskart racing, taken overall wins in European stage rally events, and is the youngest driver ever to compete in a World Rallycross Supercar.
2019 ARA schedule
Acre Wood, Salem, MO – March 15-16
Higgins/Drew
Solberg/Johnston
Olympus Rally, Shelton, WA – April 27-28
Higgins/Drew
Solberg/Johnston
Oregon Trail Rally, Portland, OR – May 31-June 2
Higgins/Drew
Pastrana/Durant
Idaho Rally, Idaho City, ID – June 22-23
Higgins/Drew
Solberg/Johnston
New England Forest Rally, Bethel, ME – July 19-20
Higgins/Drew
Solberg/Johnston
Muscatell Ojibwe Forests Rally, Detroit Lakes, MN – August 23-24
Higgins/Drew
Pastrana/Durant
Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally Wellsboro, PA – September 13-14
Higgins/Drew
Solberg/Johnston
Lake Superior Performance Rally, Houghton, MI – October 18-19
Higgins/Drew
Solberg/Johnston
Even though he shows no signs of slowing down, Subaru could be looking for the successor to Higgins who is 45 years old. If the younger Solberg is anything close to his father, he could replace the British rally driver in a few years. Higgins said, “It’s very cool to have a Solberg driving a Subaru again. A generation of rally fans grew up watching Petter doing incredible things in a blue and yellow car with gold wheels, to see that Solberg name on the side of one of these cars will be mega.”
The 17 year-old Solberg and British co-driver Aaron Johnston will pilot a 2019 Subaru WRX STI with a new Blue, Gold and Yellow livery for the first time next month at Missouri’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, alongside David Higgins and Craig Drew in the first event of their ARA title defense. Stay tuned.
Leave your comments below, share the article with friends and tweet it out to your followers!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Photo credit: Subaru Motorsports
Follow us today...
