THE WRC FUTURE STARS WAITING IN THE WINGS
While Kalle Rovanpera heads the WRC’S youth movement, there is a growing list of young pretenders who could soon emerge as the next big thing.
The youngest of this fresh wave of talent is Oliver Solberg , son of 2003 world champion Petter Solberg. He comes from good stock and has been steadily impressing plenty of people in rallying’s top tier to secure a full factory WRC contract with Hyundai for 2022, when he shares the third entry with Dani Sordo.
The 20-year-old may only have four WRC starts in top-tier machinery to his name, but Solberg has already offered a glimpse into his potential after matching his more experienced Hyundai team-mates to finish fifth outright in last year’s
Rally Monza finale.
“It is a dream come true and something very exciting and I can’t quite believe I would get there that quickly,” says Solberg Jr. “I have only been rallying for four years, so it’s quite crazy.
“Speed and so on I feel I have proved [myself], but there is still a lot of experience to gain as I’m still very new to everything. Having a clean and consistent run at Monte Carlo is the main thing, and then you have to look at which races you feel confident in and which you don’t where you need more experience. It is definitely a year of [gaining] experience.”
While Craig Breen is set to lead the championship charge for M-sport
(see page 44), the Ford squad boasts a pair of young guns who could be set for bright futures.
French rising star Adrien Fourmaux has been handed a full WRC campaign after impressing during a maiden partial season in the big time with the British operation. Last year’s highlights were a fifth place on his Fiesta debut in Croatia and a maiden fastest stage time on the Safari Rally.
“An entire season is waiting for me with the M-sport Ford Puma
Hybrid Rally1, which is a pleasure to drive,” says Fourmaux. “I am so proud of this. It is a very significant moment for me when I remember that I discovered rallying with the M-sport Fiesta R2J back in 2017.”
Team-mate Gus Greensmith showed encouraging signs in 2021
after scoring a career-best fourth in Kenya. Equipped with a potentially potent Puma, the Brit could also be one to watch.
“It means a lot to be representing the team going into 2022 where it seems that they’ve done a fantastic job at creating a very competitive package,” says Greensmith.
Toyota development driver Takamoto Katsuta was another to catch the eye in 2021 by claiming a maiden podium with second in Kenya. The most consistent driver in the first half of last season is back with the Japanese marque, and the 28-year-old is ready to spring a surprise.