Solberg: Man of the future

Solberg: subject of a tug-of-love between two top teams

Petter Solberg is one of two rising young stars targeted by Subaru as men who have a great role to play in the future of rallying.

Having made his mark with Ford on the world championship this year, the Norwegian has been poached somewhat controversially by Subaru, where he is being blooded as a leader of the next generation of rally stars.

He has been given the priceless opportunity in the last three rallies of this season to learn the events at the wheel of a WRC car without the pressure to produce results.

"The last thing we want to do is put them under pressure," team boss David Lapworth says of Solberg and his fellow graduate Markko Martin, who joins the team next season. "They know we simply want them to get miles."

The philosophy behind this approach can only be applauded. Now Lapworth and his colleagues at Subaru will be hoping it pays off as well with their latest two stars as it did with Richard Burns and Colin McRae.