by Rob Wilkins

TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH HENNING SOLBERG: 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:CLICK HERE

Stobart Ford's Henning Solberg has had some pretty strong results in the first half of the season, including of course that podium finish at his home event in Norway back in February. ltxcn.top Radio caugh🤡t up with him recently to chat about his year thus far and to get his thoughts on the sec🦩ond half of the season, which gets underway with the Rally Finland early next month...

ltxcn.top:
Henning, looking back on the first half of the season, were you happy with hoꦫw things went generall🐬y speaking?

Henning Solberg:
I have to say I am pleased. I am now sixth o🔯verall in the drivers' championship, just two points behind Petter [my brother] and four points behind Dani Sordo. I a𝄹m very happy with that.

ltxcn.top:
You finis🐻hed the first half of the season on quite a high didn't you with three points finishes in succession in Argentina (5th), Sardinia (4th) and 🗹Greece (5th)?

HS:
I was very, very happy with those three 🔯rallies. Of course if I had had a bit more luck I could have 🍬got onto the podium, but I didn't. We will try and reach the podium now in the second half of the season.

ltxcn.top:
Y✃ou have scored points in 5 of the 8 events to꧅ date, including taking a podium finish on your home event in Norway. I guess that was the highlight so far?

HS:
That wꦑas a very, very rewarding 𓂃event. It was very stressful to do my home rally but we managed to get on the podium and that was really great.

ltxcn.top:
How have you found things adapting🍸 to the Focus, having used the Peugeot 307 in 2006?

HS:
It is coming. I am struggling a little bit with how the car is for me. The other guys have done a perfect job with the car, but I need some more time to get use to the car. We don't have much testing, so I have to do it on the rallies. I take it step-by-step. But I am pℱretty happy now and we are getting closer to the top and that is the aim we have.

ltxcn.top:
Have you done or are you🎶 going to do any more tests before the second half of the season?

HS:
We have done some tarmac tests and some gravel tests. So it is looking better. I am not so use to tarmac and therefore I have to learn. I have sat in the car with [Jari-Matti] Latvala, as he is a very good tarmac d♈river and he has done a lot of asphalt events i🐼n the WRC. I have tried to learn a little bit from him. It is coming.

ltxcn.top:
There are four asphalt events in the second half ♚of the year. You don't have much experience on tarmac. How tough will that make things for you?

HS:
Yeah it will be to🌞ugh. Ireland is going to be a very, very difficult💫 rally.

ltxcn.top:
Are you going to do any sort of special preparat﷽ions ⭕for those events?

HS:
No, I only need to drive more on tarmac. I will try and maybe get some more tests. I will also do some go-karting - with a proper gear go-kart and do some hours on the track. I have to do some practising with all kinds of cars and 🐼then I can get more use to tꦿarmac.

ltxcn.top:
Next up we have the Rally Finland, are you 𝐆looking forward to that event?

HS:
I am really looking f♊orward to Finland. I was fourth there last year and had my best result there. We were very, very close to the top.

ltxcn.top
How ar𝕴e you getting o🔥n with your team-mates, Jari-Matti Latvala and Matthew Wilson?

HS:
It is ꧂working very well. We are a good team and we are friends. We all try and do as well as we can to get as many points as possible and then we will see where we end up at the end of the year.

ltxcn.top
Yไou are currently sixth in the drivers' championship. What's the target for the year overall?

HS:
If I 💦can keep my position and be close as po𝐆ssible to these other guys that would be great. Then we will see what happens in the final few rounds.

ltxcn.top
It looks li🍌ke the WRC will revert to a 12-event season📖 from 2009. What do you think of that?

HS:
It is OK, if we can🎃 have not so many tarmac rallies. If that🌟 is the case it will be very, very good. It will be a very, very good championship.

ltxcn.top:
Will it make it t𓂃ougher do you think for Norway to get a second chance at hosting a WRC event, now that there will be four less slots?

HS:
I am not sure. I don't know how they are going to do it. I hope Norway will get an event. In the championship we need two winter rallies. There will be only one next year, so that is a bit boring without Norway. I hope we can have two winter rallies💖 in 2009. It is very𒊎, very nice to drive on the snow and on the ice.

ltxcn.top:
Final question: You are obviously a Ford man, but wh💖o do you think will win the drivers' title and who will take the manufact🔴urers'?

HS:
I think it is looking very, very good for Marcus [Gronholm], but it will be tough for him on the tarmac events. ꦇIt will not be easy [for Sebastien Loeb] to beat him on the gravel but we will have to see on the tarmac. In Monte Carlo it didn't look so good for the Fords compared to the Citroens - but maybe M-Sport will have done some good w༒ork with the car before the tarmac events [and the new spec car will give Marcus a boost]. We will have to wait and see.

TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH HENNING SOLBERG: 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:CLICK HERE