WRC
Solberg fastest in Acropolis Rally qualifying stage
Nancy Knapp Schilke, WRC Correspondent
Edited: May 25, 2012, 12:36 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Petter Solberg nipped his teammate Jari-Matti Latvala to have the honor of being first to choose his starting position for the opening day of the Acropolis Rally. The Norwegian won the 6.20km Qualifying Stage with a time of 4m11.976s for this weekend’s FIA World Rally Championship contest in Greece. It was the second time this year that he and co-pilot Chris Patterson have raced their Ford Fiesta RS to the top time in the new 2012 qualifying format.
“It’s good to be first, very important in fact,” said Solberg. “The car works well and we should be strong for this rally. I feel confident.”
The car works well and we should be strong for this rally. I feel confident.
Petter Solberg
After being sidelined due to a broken collarbone, Latvala has returned to the cockpit of his Fiesta RS, and proved he was up for the challenge with a time of 4m12.074s.
“There was one corner when I thought I was in first but I was in second. The engine died just a tiny bit on the uphill but I quickly got it back. We only lost a couple of tenths but after a long time out of the car this was a good boost,” said the Finn.
Placing third was eight-time WRC champion Sebatien Loeb. In his Citroen DS3, Loeb’s best was 4m12.702s.
Now for the surprise: The top WRC teams will not be first on the road for the first day of action. Due to the fact this is a gravel event, Solberg and the Ford team decided that starting 13 would be a lucky number, or more to the point, they will have an advantage. Latvala lines up 12th for the first special stage of the sixth WRC round this year.
Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, Citroën DS3 WRC, Citroën Total World Rally Team
Photo by: Citroën Communication
They will cover nine stages in Leg One with the first one later today, and the other eight on Friday. “It’s the best position for the cleaning and if it is raining then it will dry very quickly. We’re on top form, the team is on top form and the car is on top form. I think this can be my rally now,” Solberg said.
The Blue Ovals main rivals from the Citroen camp slot 11th and 9th.
With the decision by Ford, Paulo Nobre in his Team MINI Portugal will start first as the Brazilian had the slowest, and therefore was the final driver to select his starting position; basically Nobre had no choice.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Citroën's Loeb seeks third win under the harsh Grecian sun
Next article Latvala leads for Ford in Greece after Solberg wins qualifying
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jari-Matti Latvala
Jari-Matti Latvala guides Toyota to Olympus Rally victory, Lia Block third
Other rally
Other rally
Jari-Matti Latvala guides Toyota to Olympus Rally victory, Lia Block third
More events like Monza Rally Show would be “nice” for WRC - Latvala
WRC
WRC
More events like Monza Rally Show would be “nice” for WRC - Latvala
Latvala to make WRC comeback at Rally Finland
WRC
WRC
Rally Finland
Latvala to make WRC comeback at Rally Finland
More from
Citroën World Rally Team
Citroen reveals new-look 2025 WRC line-up
WRC
WRC
Rally Monte Carlo
Citroen reveals new-look 2025 WRC line-up
Ostberg gets full WRC2 season with Citroen
WRC
WRC
Ostberg gets full WRC2 season with Citroen
Citroen open to making WRC car available to privateers
WRC
WRC
Citroen open to making WRC car available to privateers
Latest news
Toyota clinches 2026 NASCAR Cup manufacturer championship early after dominant season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
32 min
Toyota clinches 2026 NASCAR Cup manufacturer championship early after dominant season
Tyler Reddick really needed NASCAR Phoenix win for several reasons
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
35 min
Tyler Reddick really needed NASCAR Phoenix win for several reasons
Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
Bubba Wallace laments mistake after heartbreaking Phoenix loss
NASCAR is getting the championship finish it has pursued since 1992
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
NASCAR is getting the championship finish it has pursued since 1992
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe