Andreas Mikkelsen fears the pace of the Italian championship regulars contesting the Targa Florio in Sicily later this month will mean his long wait for a maiden IRC victory on asphalt could continue.
Italian championship runners will be able to score IRC points on the famous rally, which will be based near Palermo from June 14-16, and Mikkelsen believes multiple event winner Paolo Andreucci will be particularly difficult to beat.
“There will be a lot of fast Italian drivers who will be super, super fast because they know the stages very well so it won’t be easy,” said Mikkelsen, who will drive a ŠKODA UK Motorsport-run Fabia Super 2000 on the event. “For sure I hope to be up there fighting and hopefully I can at least beat the drivers who are not Italian.”
Mikkelsen has competed on a gravel event in Sicily in the past but the Targa Florio will represent unchartered territory for the 22-year-old from Norway.
“The only thing I know about the Targo Florio is that it is very slippery Tarmac,” said Mikkelsen. “It won’t be easy but I will do my best.”
Other Italian drivers expected to run at the front in Sicily include Giandomenico Basso and Umberto Scandola.
Source: Max Rally
