Volkswagen Motorsport driver Andreas Mikkelsen has ruled out any chance of another thrilling battle with team-mate Sebastien Ogier on this week's Acropolis Rally.
The scrap between the two Skoda Fabia S2000s was one of the highlights of Rally Argentina last month, but Mikkelsen says the extreme nature of the Acropolis Rally means he will not be able to run as quickly as Ogier.
The Norwegian was new to Rally Argentina, where he led the seven-time world rally winner, for much of the event, but Mikkelsen admitted his maiden outing in Greece is a different proposition.
"This was a rally he won last year and the stages are more or less all the same," said Mikkelsen. "In Argentina, there were some new stages and that was a good rally for us. I don't think we will fight with him here. It will be more tough this time - my aim is to get to the finish to get to know this rally."
Mikkelsen admitted he had been shocked at how rough the day-two roads were during the recce.
"I heard some rumours about how rough this rally was and today we saw that,' said Mikkelsen. "It was very rough today. The rocks are so big and we have to drive over them.
"I don't know how we approach these kind of stages because I never drove them before - I guess we will just figure it out when we get there. Seb [Ogier] told me the Michelin tyre is strong and it will stand going through the rocks, he says it's no problem."
The fascinating Mikkelsen-Ogier South American tussle was decided when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion's Fabia suffered suspension failure on the final day.
Source: Autosport
The scrap between the two Skoda Fabia S2000s was one of the highlights of Rally Argentina last month, but Mikkelsen says the extreme nature of the Acropolis Rally means he will not be able to run as quickly as Ogier.
The Norwegian was new to Rally Argentina, where he led the seven-time world rally winner, for much of the event, but Mikkelsen admitted his maiden outing in Greece is a different proposition.
"This was a rally he won last year and the stages are more or less all the same," said Mikkelsen. "In Argentina, there were some new stages and that was a good rally for us. I don't think we will fight with him here. It will be more tough this time - my aim is to get to the finish to get to know this rally."
Mikkelsen admitted he had been shocked at how rough the day-two roads were during the recce.
"I heard some rumours about how rough this rally was and today we saw that,' said Mikkelsen. "It was very rough today. The rocks are so big and we have to drive over them.
"I don't know how we approach these kind of stages because I never drove them before - I guess we will just figure it out when we get there. Seb [Ogier] told me the Michelin tyre is strong and it will stand going through the rocks, he says it's no problem."
The fascinating Mikkelsen-Ogier South American tussle was decided when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion's Fabia suffered suspension failure on the final day.
Source: Autosport
