Rally star Petter Solberg swaps car for butcher’s bike as he falls in love with Shropshire

The film – directed by Shropshire media firm Words PR – was made to promote Solberg’s attendance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Chichester. It shows him transitioning from an English country gent to his more normal surroundings in a rally car.

The rally car filming was completed near Llangurig in Mid Wales, while the Shrewsbury locations included the Mytton and Mermaid Hotel in Atcham, the English Bridge and Bradleys Butchers at the Column roundabout.

Solberg, who won the 2003 FIA World Rally Championship and back-to-back World Rallycross titles in 2014/15, is a big fan of Shrewsbury.

“I remember coming here a lot of years ago when a rally was close to the town,” he said.

“I have driven for English teams a lot in my career and I have always loved this country. The chance to come and wear some nice clothes, drink some tea and feel like I was in this show Downton Abbey was really cool.

“I must say, Shrewsbury’s a really nice place, it’s just a shame I don’t have more time here. I have to make a big thank you to everybody at the Mytton and Mermaid and Bradleys – they even let me ride their Butcher’s bike, maybe we save that bit for the next film!”

Words PR director Sandra Evans said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to showcase Shropshire and show what a beautiful part of the world Shrewsbury is. Petter genuinely enjoyed his time making the film and is keen to bring his family back to stay for a few days.

“The only problem we’ve had so far is getting him to take the waistcoat off – he seems to have taken on the role of a Norwegian Earl of Grantham!”

Solberg will be one of the main attractions at the West Sussex event, from July 4 to 7, which draws a crowd from around the world.

The video can be viewed on Petter Solberg's Facebook page.