Rumours in Norweigan media says that Petter yesterday bought a Citroen Xsara WRC from France along with two engines and two gearboxes. There are strong indications that this is the car Petter will use in Norway… However, nothing is confirmed regarding this.

Another option for Petter is to use the car only for testing – but that doesn’t seem very likely considering the extra engines and gearboxes he bought. Anyway, let’s assume that Petter will use the car competing in the WRC – at least in Norway.

So, what’s my opinion then? I think his results will very much depend on what gear he has managed to get from Citroen. A Xsara WRC must not be the same as a Xsara WRC – the quality may (as on any other WRC car) vary a lot depending on what parts the car is equipped with.

My own experience of that comes from Daniel Carlsson’s time with Kronos Racing in the Xsara WRC in 2007. After seeing Sebastien Loeb, we all know what a right-fitted Xsara WRC can deliver. For Carlsson in Kronos 2007, exactly the same specification as Sebastien Loeb’s 2006 World Champion car was promised from Citroen/Kronos. However, the car that was delivered was equipped with some parts that weren’t -06 and not even -05 spec. It took a long time before anything was updated, and the car was never even close to the spec of Loeb in 2006. From what I’ve heard, even Manfred Stohl was furious regarding the Xsara WRC delivered from Mr Van Dalen and Guy Frequelin.

So, the Xsara WRC may be a good car – but let’s hope Citroen doesn’t try to trick Petter Solberg. They have their own works team and also their Junior Team to take care of – so I guess Petter Solberg’s Xsara will not have the highest priority – even though he’s a star. Best for himself would probably be if he had his totally own team fitting the car with the best parts available on the market. Let’s hope that’s how it will be – otherwise Petter’s (potential) Xsara WRC experience will be a disappointment.