“Loeb will be following the rally intently”

Petter Solberg looked a little bit surprised at my question. Granted, it might have been a little bit obvious, but he thought it was just silly. Once he’d stopped laughing. He answered. “I asked him,” was the 2003 World Rally champion’s answer.

Petter Solberg is the last non-sebastien to have taken that title. In the intervening period, one Sebastien or the other has worn the crown for 14 years. This time next week, that might be 15.

Solberg’s title defence was tormented by one man; in fact, Sebastien Loeb was a thorn in Solberg’s side for the rest of his WRC career. In those years, the pair were never particularly close. Petter, with his ‘Hollywood’ tag and thousands of fans following him around the world, was something of an enigma to the quiet and considerably more reserved Alsatian.

But now, after a couple of years of knocking on each other’s door in World Rallycross, they’ve become closer than ever. In Spain a couple of weeks ago, I asked Petter if, when he was turning the Polo GTI R5 into each corner, he was missing his WRX arch-rival Mattias Ekstrom?

Petter laughed. Then said no. I asked a wider question to Loeb: was he missing his WRX mates. “I have Petter here, I have my friend,” he grinned. Which brings me back to my original question… the one Solberg thought was silly: how did he get Loeb to teach his 17-year-old son how to drive on asphalt? “I asked him.” Obviously. I like this story. I like the fact that two titans of our sport who once traded tenth for tenth and title for title (admittedly, Seb might have outscored Petter on that one!) are now such good mates that one will surrender days off to help the other one’s son out.

And I really like the fact that Oliver found so much fever in having Loeb alongside him.

One thing which will further unite two Solbergs and one Loeb this week is Rally Australia. All eyes will be on Coffs Harbour this week. Even Loeb, a man known for his reluctance to get out of bed in the morning, admitted he will watch this one all the way to the powerstage.

“As long as it’s not completely in the middle of the night,” he said. It’s certainly not the middle of the night, but the second run through Wedding Bells might be kicking off at 0320hrs where you are, Seb.

He’ll be there. Nobody can change the channel on this year’s World Rally Championship. Last year we had four different winners in the first four rounds and seven different winners across the spread of the season, but we also had a title decided in Ogier’s favour with two rounds remaining.

This time around we’ve had less winners, but a story that has turned, twisted, then turned again. The road that has taken us to New South Wales is one nobody could have predicted; there’s been no recce for a season like this. But by Sunday afternoon, it’ll be done. The final chapter will be closed. But how will it read?