Special event for Petter and Phil!This weekend marks another milestone for Petter Solberg and Phil Mills, for it is their 100th WRC event in the colours of the Subaru World Rally Team.
Now one of the most long-established rally partnerships, Petter and Phil made
their Subaru debut on Rallye de France-Tour de Corse back near the end of the 2000 season.
"It doesn't seem that long ago actually," remembers Phil. "I think that is because we're so busy all the time that it just flies by. It is a lot of starts and stands for a lot of hard work."
"I hope this weekend isn't like the first one in Corsica, where we did two kilometres and then had to retire with a gearbox problem!"
Despite that less-than-auspicious start, the Norwegian-Welsh combination soon got into their stride and became one of the most well-known and successful partnerships in modern-day world rallying.
Phil adds: "There have been a few milestones along the way. The first win, in Rally GB, was sweet, but the first podium in Greece in 2001 was a special moment. We finished second overall and it showed people that we had arrived. The first fastest stage time, also in Greece, was also good."
"What we must not forget, and what a lot of people overlook, is that although we were world champions in 2003, we also finished as runners-up three times, in 2002, 2004 and 2005. To do that is quite an achievement in itself and shows how consistent we have been down the years."
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