Solberg grew up in Spydeberg and, like his brother Petter, began his motorsport career in bilcross — a Norwegian low-budget form of rallycross similar to Swedish folkrace and Finnish jokamiehenluokka — before moving into rallycross events. He switched fully to rallying in the mid-1990s. Between 1999 and 2003 he dominated domestic competition, winning the Norwegian Rally Championship for five consecutive years, establishing himself as a highly consistent performer on the national stage.
After competing as a privateer in WRC rounds, Solberg secured a contract with Bozian Racing for the 2004 season. Driving a Peugeot 206 WRC, he took his first WRC points at the 2004 Swedish Rally by finishing sixth — a result that remained both his best finish and only points score of that campaign.
For 2005 Solberg was signed by the BP Ford World Rally Team, Ford's factory WRC operation. Competing in seven rounds alongside Toni Gardemeister and Roman Kresta, he delivered his best result of the season at the Cyprus Rally, where he beat both team-mates to fourth place. He ended the year 14th in the drivers' championship with nine points.
In 2006 Solberg partnered Manfred Stohl at the OMV Peugeot Norway W.R.T., contesting 12 of the 16 WRC rounds plus the non-championship Rally Norway in a Peugeot 307 WRC. He claimed his first WRC podium with third place at the Rally of Turkey, added six further points-scoring finishes, and concluded the season eighth in the drivers' standings. During this period he also appeared on the BBC programme Top Gear, rallying a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution against the Norwegian bobsleigh team at the Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track, with presenter James May as co-driver.
Solberg joined the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team on a full-time basis for 2007. He secured his second WRC podium with third at the Rally Norway — the first time that event featured on the WRC calendar — and later added a third podium at the Rally Japan, finishing sixth in the drivers' championship ahead of Chris Atkinson and Jari-Matti Latvala.
He remained at Stobart through the 2008 season, recording his best individual result of the year with fourth place at the Jordan Rally. In 2009 he had his strongest season start, taking fourth in both the Rally Ireland opener and the following Rally Norway, before claiming his career fourth podium in Argentina behind Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo, and adding another podium in Poland. From 2010 Solberg began mixing the Ford Focus RS WRC with the smaller Ford Fiesta S2000, consistently scoring points when driving the S2000 specification car.
In 2012 Solberg drove for the privateer Go Fast Energy World Rally Team alongside Matthew Wilson, completing rounds in Monte Carlo and Sweden before the team withdrew from the season. He returned to the WRC for the 2013 Rally Sweden with M-Sport's Fiesta RS WRC as co-driver Emil Axelsson's partner, finishing eighth. He also competed in the FIA European Rallycross Championship and the FIA World Rallycross Championship Supercar class across various seasons.
Solberg represents one of the most decorated branches of Norwegian motorsport's most celebrated family. While his brother Petter reached the absolute pinnacle of the WRC by winning the 2003 drivers' title with Subaru, Henning carved out a long and consistent career as a top-ten regular, with multiple podiums across his WRC tenure, five consecutive Norwegian national titles, and appearances for Ford's factory structure confirming his standing as a professional of the highest domestic calibre.
Gallery · 4 related images
