Home story: P-G Andersson

Nationality:      Swedish

Date of birth:   March 10th, 1980

Place of birth: Arjäng, Sweden

Family status: girlfriend Marie-Louise
 

Personal insights 

How would you describe yourself in two sentences?

“There’s always something going on. In general, I’m a cheery person and am very happy with my life.” 

What is your favourite place in this house? (Note: The interview took place on the terrace of
P-G’s parents’ house.)

“I like to be outside in the countryside, where I have water and nature around me. That’s probably the best description of my preferred place. I don’t like to be in a big city or anything like that. I like to be in the countryside, as well as near my friends, and at home.” 

Who is the most important person in your life?

“The most important person in my life is probably my father. He’s always supported me 110 percent from the start of my career as a rally driver on. He’s spent a lot of time, a lot of money and has always done a very good job for me with the sponsors.” 

What is your favourite destination?

“My favourite place is close to a lake, when the sun is shining and the water is warm and fresh. You can go on a jet ski, have a quad bike parked next to you and stay there with a few friends and just relax.” 

What is the main difference between the WRC pilot and the private P-G Andersson?

“I am more relaxed when I’m at home. Still, I want things to happen. Instead of just laying back, I prefer action. If I want to do something, I’ll do it immediately. During rallies I am very, very focused, especially while the rally is going on. I can be a bit ignorant at times then.” 

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

“In five years time I’ve won the World Rally Championship title and am still driving rallies.”
 

P-G’s residence 

Årjäng is a town and municipality in Värmland County in West Central Sweden, bordering on Norway. A separate local governmental entity named Årjäng was created in 1941, when it was detached from Silbodal. In 1952, the two were united under the name of Årjäng. In 1971, Sillerud and Holmedal were amalgamated with Årjäng and in 1974 Töcksmark was added and the municipality acquired its present size.
 

County            Värmland County

Province         Värmland

Coordinates    59° 23´ 0˝ N, 12° 8´ 0˝ E

Area                4.11 km²

Population       3,172

Density           772/km²

Website:          www.arjang.se
 

Additional quotes 

“We have a very nice pond about 500 meters away from here, where you can usually catch some good fish. Ordinarily, depending on the weather, we spend one or two hours there, maybe 10-20 times during the summer. If we don’t catch anything, I get bored very quickly, and then we go back home.” 

“In winter I like to go out hunting – the season starts from the end of November/beginning of December and lasts until the end of February. We mainly hunt deer, rabbit and some foxes. The elk season is during the time period of the rallies in Catalunya and Corsica, so we miss that. It isn’t really about hunting anyway, but rather about going out into nature with a few people, sitting and grilling some sausages and having a good time. 70 percent of the time you go out, you don’t get anything. This year I’ve maybe been out 20 times and shot one rabbit. When the animal is dead, you can’t enjoy it anymore. Normally I have a dog that chases the animals.“ 

“In this region we don’t have that many elks. My father saw one swimming across the lake the other day. The wolves are coming back now though. There was one close to here just a few weeks ago. The wolves kill elks and deer, so there aren’t as many anymore. I myself have never seen one.” 

“Pirelli (P-G’s cat) gets along very well with animals, especially with foxes. We also have a lot of badgers. They have a big den down at the lake and try to destroy the gardens.” 

“Usually I’m at my parents’ place once each week at least. During the summer break I’ll mostly stay at home. Except for some racing, like the Camaro Circuit Race on the West Coast in the middle of July.”