Having failed to finish in his debut at the WRC Safari rally last year, Swedish driver Oliver Solberg says he is ready and charged up to tackle the tough terrain and finish the race this year, having had more time to get used to his car.

In his WRC debut, Oliver, son of Rally legend Petter Solberg, retired from the Safari last year after a damaged chassis, but he now believes he is better prepared to tackle and finish the grueling chase on gravel.

"Last year the experience was great but we had our issues. This year the car looks stronger and hopefully I can give a strong performance. I expect a much rougher and tougher rally and I have lots of respect for the race. The target is to finish and if we do without problems that will be a good result for us," the 20-year old told Capital Sport.

Last year, Solberg didn't have enough time with the car but after racing with it severally already, he believes he is better equipped and ready to challenge the big boys and make his mark in the rally.

"I am excited to be here. I love this place, the people, the atmosphere is great and challenging. I love the passion. Everyone is super tough with the likes of Rovenperra, Tanak, Neuville my teammate and the rest. I am just hoping I will drive clean this weekend. It is about endurance," said the youngstar.

He also hopes that they will get at least two of Hyundai's cars over the finish line for ranking point, with two of them having retired last year due to various reasons.

"It hasn't been easy of course with so many issues with the car but we have lots of good things to take in. Every race is a fight for the top. I have done three races already this year and I feel ready," he added.

Oliver hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father Petter who has raced in four consecutive WRC Safari Rally events between 1999 and 2002. He came close to a podium finish in 2002 but a problem with his car in the last stage as he lay second broke his dreams.

Now, Oliver, who has learnt so much from his dad, hopes he can go one better and post a strong finish.

"You know how it is when your father plays football, then you also want to play football. My whole family has a huge passion for motorsport and it is automatic in my blood that I will want to do it even without my know knowledge,"

"I liked ice hockey and I have also played tennis before, but I didn't like it. It didn't have enough adrenaline. I am an adrenaline guy and for me motorsports is perfect," a smiling Oliver said.

He has been accompanied to the Safari Rally by his dad Petter, who hopes that his son can have a better rally than he did last year.

"Honestly I am very proud that he is doing the Safari because it is a memory that stays in your mind for a very long time. It's so different and special compared with all others. It's special and for him at the age of 20 to come here and do it is a dream come true,"

"Last year was a terrible rally for him because he came in with no testing and had never tried the car before. It was a little bit too much rush but this year he will have a great rally," the senior Solberg stated.

He says that he is doing his best to advice and put in suggestions as they prepare and he is definitely sure he will achieve more than he did.

"He can absolutely reach the heights that I did and even better because even when we are doing testing he is always beating me. Rallying is all about experience and he will get more as he goes on. I won my first championship at 27 and the youngest champion is 27, so he has seven years to go," Petter jokingly stated.

He has at the same time implored on his son to enjoy the rally and above all not focus much on the result until the final day of competition on Sunday.

Solberg spent his Sunday at the Hyundai Showroom alongside Mombasa Road, meeting fans and signing autographs with plenty of good wishes ahead of Sunday's Rally.

Copyright Capital FM. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English