Solberg To Shred 2023 In WRC2 ŠKODA

It has been a tough few months for 21-year old Oliver Solberg. After parting company with a factory WRC drive back in October, Solberg has been working around the clock to get himself back in a rally car for the upcoming season. 

As they say, hard work pays off, and now the ink has dried on a contract which will see the Monster Energy athlete contest the 2023 World Rally Championship (WRC2) at the wheel of a ŠKODA Fabia RS Rally2, run by the German-based Toksport team. 

“I’m really excited about next season,” said Oliver. “Working with Toksport, it’s a great way to continue our journey. Everybody knows how competitive WRC2 is and it’s fantastic to be in there battling with so many great drivers and cars.
 

“I’m also super-proud to be wearing Monster Energy colours again. These guys have been with me and my family for such a long time – it feels like they’re part of our family! 
 
“We were in Los Angeles at headquarters for Monster Energy last month and the reception we got was unbelievable. It’s so cool to work with these guys. And the same with all of our partners, we’re so grateful to everybody for keeping the story moving.”

Solberg is no stranger to ŠKODA rally machinery, having scored good results at the wheel of a race-prepped Fabia two years ago. “I drove the ŠKODA Fabia in 2020 and have really good memories from the car. We finished that year with a really nice result, [seventh overall] on the final round of the WRC in Monza,” explained Oliver.
 

“The new Fabia RS Rally2 is the car everybody has been talking about. I tested it for the first time in France earlier this week and was really impressed. Straight away I could feel comfortable with the car and confident in the feedback. Honestly, it was so nice to get behind the wheel for a test with a big, big smile on my face. 
 
“I was also really happy with Toksport. Serkan [Duru, team principal] and the rest of the guys are so professional – it’s the same like working with a factory team. Nothing was a problem for them; competing with them in 2023 is going to be great.”
 
Looking forward to Rallye Monte-Carlo (Monaco, January 19-22), Oliver said: “Monte is always a big, big challenge. You never know what you’re going to get with the weather and, really, anything can happen on this event. I will use this rally to understand more about the car and the team, but for me the points are going to be counted from the next round in Sweden. 
 
“Like you can imagine, I love Rally Sweden – it’s always been a huge week in our house – and I can’t think of a better place to start counting our scores in WRC2. The new adventure is ready to begin.”