Petter Solberg, nicknamed Hollywood because of his entertaining driving style, is working to achieve World Rally Championship results that match the consistent success he is achieving in the private aircraft charter sector.

The amiable Norwegian, who is recognised as one of the sport's quickest drivers, has made rapid progress in establishing an expanding charter operation with three bases in Scandinavia.

"Demand has reached the stage where the acquisition of a third aircraft is more than justified," says Jorgen Pehrsson, Solberg's partner in Petter Solberg Aviation (PS Aviation).

The company was launched in mid-2005 when Solberg decided that using private aircraft was the best way to meet his WRC commitments and acquired a Citation II. PS Aviation firmly committed to expanding the charter side of the business only this year but already is acquiring its third aircraft.

"We are taking delivery of a CJ1 within weeks," says Pehrsson.

The development of aircraft charter in tandem with rallying commitments began when Solberg encountered growing frustrations as he travelled extensively by scheduled airlines to tight deadlines that encompassed rally reconnaissance as well as racing.

"I had friends who used private aircraft and it seemed a good way to avoid long hours at airports. I assessed the time saving and the convenience, acquired a Citation II and have been using private aircraft ever since," says Solberg.

Pehrsson adds: "We decided that the range of the Citation II was too limited and we sold it and purchased an Encore which is faster and has a better range. There was also a demand for charter so we decided to take the company forward. We added a second aircraft, the Citation Ultra, to provide more availability for charter. And now we are adding a third aircraft, a Citation CJ1. We need to ensure that we have aircraft to meet the rising charter demand and fit in the international rally itinerary."

Solberg has an extremely busy itinerary which involves far more than taking part in races and striving for WRC honours. He has been to Jordan to take part in this year's

fact-finding mission to prepare for the country's debut in the WRC in 2008. The venues already include Monte Carlo, Sweden, Norway, Mexico, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, France, Japan, Ireland and the U.K.

Pehrsson says: "On the rallying side Petter Solberg's focus is regaining his 2003 world championship title.

It is fair to say that he is regarded as very different to the perceived stereotypical, quiet Scandinavian. No-one else in the WRC has as much enthusiasm for the sport, and no-one certainly has such fans. They style themselves as Petter's barmy army and they really enjoy his fast rally style."

Solberg, who has a disco-dancing background, is said to drive his Subaru with vigour, passion and panache. He started competing in rallycross and hill climbing, before turning to rallying. In 1998, he won the Norwegian national title and was then given a test by Ford's Malcolm Wilson.

Wilson gave Solberg a drive for 1999, and, in 2000 Solberg gained the opportunity to change to Subaru.

Solberg, who lost out in 2004, 2005 and 2006 to Citroen's Sebastien Loeb, says he is determined to regain his title. "The charter business is achieving consistent success and I'd like to do the same in WRC. Both co-driver Phil Mills and I believe our racing fortunes are about to change."

He adds: "There is a large organisation behind us. At the top we have Fuji Heavy Industries which owns Subaru. Subaru's motorsport division is Subaru Technica International. The Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) is run from England by Prodrive and it is there all rally cars are built and maintained. There are about 200 people working for SWRT and about 50 on events. Everyone has their special task, ie. engineer, mechanic, tyres, cooking or taking care of team guests. I want a return of success as soon as possible for those who have worked so hard in the background."

PS Aviation, which operates out of Oslo, Stockholm and Malmo, reports strong demand for charter services from individuals as well as corporations. Pehrsson says: "The demand for international flights has been greater than we expected. Although we are based in Scandinavia, we fly frequently out of England, Italy and Russia. We are specifically targeting the market for mid-size long range aircraft. Our requirements are for a very good range and performance. We want to keep the fleet as modern as possible."

PS Aviation is organising its itinerary tightly to maximise charter while ensuring that Solberg meets his schedule. The partners are used to detailed planning. Preparations for the hard-fought WRC season begins months before the first rally. The governing body, the FIA, approves routes, stages and final locations of the 16 rallies around the world, and passes on a copy of the proposals to the manufacturers. Each rally must allow two days for reconnaissance, one day for technical checks (or scrutineering) and three days for competition. The rally is divided into three legs, and typically has between 15 and 25 special stages. The manufacturer-backed factory teams will enter two or three cars each, and arrive on location weeks before the start of a rally for on-site preparation. The competing cars are seeded and start the event according to their ranking, with the leader of the drivers' championship setting off first. Often there are up to 90 cars taking part - the rest of the field made up of the Junior Rally Championship (smaller, lower-powered cars for younger drivers), or the Production Car World Rally Championship and private teams.

"A successful charter business requires intense focus, efficient administrative ability, good public relations, skill and intensive hard work. It has a lot in common with international rallying," says Pehrsson.