Andreas Mikkelsen Fansite: Season 2012

Showing posts with label Season 2012. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Season 2012. Show all posts

Mikkelsen: wrong pacenote to blame for Corsica delay + Video

Andreas Mikkelsen has described the incident that is set to ensure his winless stretch in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge on asphalt continues.

Mikkelsen, the defending IRC champion, started Friday’s second stage, covered live on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, leading by 7.2s. He reached the stop line trailing new leader Dani Sordo by 2m35.7s. His three wins in the IRC to date have all come on gravel.

“It was a ‘flat five left long’ in the pacenotes and I tried to take it flat, but I think the note was a little bit too positive, plus it was early into the stage so the tyres were not fully warm yet,” said the ŠKODA UK Motorsport driver. “Basically, I was a little too fast and we understeered out into a ditch, hit a wooden post and bounced back onto the road again. In one way we are lucky we are still here. But then the jack didn’t work and we took a long time to change the wheel. There is a little bit of damage on the right hand side of the car, but nothing to worry about – we can still go fast.”

Source: irc series.com

IRC Tour de Corse 2012 - Andreas Mikkelsen Photos

Some pictures of our Norwegians duo favorite - Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Floene in action on IRC Rally Tour de Corse 2012, fourth event of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in France.

This video down below isn't from Rally Tour de Corse, but it's a wonderfull profile video. Take a look, I promisse you, it's worth every second of your attention. Those are amazing! That why we love them!!! The best of luck to our boys tomorrow! Goooo Team Mikkelsen!

Enjoy it!

Andreas Mikkelsen holds narrow Corsica lead

Andreas Mikkelsen holds a narrow lead over series returnee Giandomenico Basso and World Rally star Dani Sordo at the end of day one of the latest Intercontinental Rally Challenge round in Corsica.

Basso, driving an A-Style-run Ford, was quickest on the first of leg one's three stages, before fastest time on SS2 took championship leader Mikkelsen (Skoda UK) from fourth to first.

He heads for the overnight halt 1.8 seconds ahead of Basso, and 2.8s clear of Sordo, who is the first top-line driver to showcase the S2000 Mini in the IRC.

A stage win on SS3 took Pierre Campana's Munaretto Peugeot up to fourth place, 19.3s off the lead, and just ahead of Mathieu Arzeno (Sainteloc Peugeot), with 2011 title contenders Jan Kopecky (Skoda) and Bryan Bouffier (Delta Peugeot) next up. Kopecky had a minor off-road excursion on SS3, while Bouffier rued excessive understeer.

Further back, Hermann Gassner Jr's Red Bull Skoda has been delayed by a puncture, and Craig Breen's Sainteloc Peugeot has been hampered by driveshaft issues.

Pos Driver Car Time

1. A.Mikkelsen Skoda Fabia S2000 28m36.3s
2. G.Basso Ford Fiesta S2000 + 0.1
3. Daniel Sordo Mini John Cooper Works S2000 + 0.6
4. Jan Kopecky Peugeot 207 S2000 + 13.2
5. Mathieu Arzeno Peugeot 207 S2000 + 17.2
6. Bryan Bouffier Skoda Fabia S2000 + 17.4
7. Pierre Campana Peugeot 207 S2000 + 20.1
8. J-M.Manzagol Skoda Fabia S2000 + 46.9
9. Julien Maurin Peugeot 207 S2000 + 48.8
10. Sepp Wiegand Skoda Fabia S2000 + 55.5

Source: Autosport

Mikkelsen hopes to break asphalt rally duck on the Tour de Course

Defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen hopes to break his asphalt rally duck on this week's Tour de Corse.

The Skoda UK Motorsport driver has finished a close second on the last two rounds of the series - both of which have run on asphalt - and the Norwegian says victory on the French island event would mean a lot to him.

"I'm still chasing that first [asphalt] win," said Mikkelsen, "and this would be a special rally to get it on. I've been chasing it for a long time. We have been close and certainly on the Circuit of Ireland, the last round, we were really close and had a great fight with Juho [Hanninen]."

The Finn - a fellow Fabia S2000 driver - is not competing on the Tour de Corse, which starts from Ajaccio today, but there will be plenty more competition for Mikkelsen and his Skoda UK team.

"There are a lot of good guys out on this event," he said. "Dani [Sordo] in the Mini and [Giandomenico] Basso in his Fiesta will be quick and then there are drivers like Bryan Bouffier coming back again. It's not going to be an easy event."

This week's fourth round of the IRC will be one of the toughest of the season - and the longest Tour de Corse in recent years. Having latterly been based solely in Ajaccio as a round of the World Rally Championship, the IRC has encouraged the organisers of the event to roam further afield around the island, in the same way the classic Tour de Corse would have done.

After an Ajaccio start, the route takes crews through Calvi, Corte and up to the finish in Bastia on Saturday evening, completing close to 200 competitive miles.

Having won the opening round of this year's IRC, before finishing second on rounds two and three, Mikkelsen has an 18-point lead in the standings.

Source: Autosport

Andreas satisfied after Corsica shakedown + Video

Andreas Mikkelsen did four runs of the Cape di Feno – St. Antoine shakedown stage in his factory-prepared ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000 before declaring himself satisfied and ready for the start of the Tour of Corsica.

The recce for Round 4 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge has gone well, although it highlighted what a difficult start to the event it will be. SS1 has just about everything you’re ever likely to find in an asphalt stage, with the 16.08 miles (25.89kms) containing wide and fast and narrow and bumpy sections. The next two stages, which lead the rally up to Calvi, run a high risk of punctures for those gambling and cutting corners.

The ceremonial start takes place tonight in Ajaccio. Cars go over the ramp in reserve order, meaning that Andreas and co-driver Ola Fløene will be flagged away at 21.42 local time. But they won’t be going far, as the rally doesn’t leave Ajaccio tomorrow at 13.00, with the first of 14 special stages beginning at 14.13.

The weather forecast for the picturesque Mediterranean island is for dry and sunny conditions throughout the event.

“The recce and the shakedown have gone well – no dramas at all,” said Andreas. “The aim is to score points, so it will be a good battle with the other Super 2000 cars. I’m not so worried about the turbo-charged Regional Rally Cars, so I won’t be pushing like crazy to try and beat Sordo if he’s as quick as I know he will be. It’s going to be a very hot and long rally, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Source: Andreas Mikkelsen Official Website

Saturday stage knowledge key, says Mikkelsen

Andreas Mikkelsen reckons his knowledge of the final day’s stages could make the difference in his quest for his first IRC victory on asphalt when the series resumes in Corsica this week.

Mikkelsen, IRC champion in 2011, holds an 18-point title advantage heading to the island rally from May 9-12.

He was a contender for a podium last year until a puncture dropped him back nearing the finish.

This year’s route has been tweaked to close with a cluster of stages around Bastia on Saturday. They traditionally form part of Ronde De La Giraglia, a local rally in Corsica, which Mikkelsen tackled in 2011 to prepare for Tour de Corse.

“After good performances on Tarmac in Gran Canaria and Ireland, I’m really feeling comfortable heading to Corsica,” said the 22-year-old Skoda UK Motorsport driver. “I enjoy the stages and we had a good rally there last year. A lot of the stages are the same, and the final leg of the event near Bastia is on the same stages we did on the Ronde De La Giraglia, so that will definitely be good for us.”

Mikkelsen will face a tough fight in his pursuit of his second victory in this year’s IRC with opposition coming from 21 other Super 2000 drivers, including factory Skoda pilot Jan Kopecky, former Monte Carlo Rally winner Bryan Bouffier, double European champion Giandomenico Basso and world championship star Dani Sordo.

However, because Sordo’s Mini is not registered for IRC points, the Spaniard won’t, in theory, be a threat to Mikkelsen. Nevertheless, the Norwegian is excited by the prospect of doing battle with Sordo over the 318 competitive kilometres.

“I’m happy to see Dani Sordo on the starting list; he’ll be a benchmark for us all, and it will be interesting to fight against a top WRC driver on an IRC event,” said Mikkelsen.

This year’s Tour de Corse, the 55th running, features 14 stages, four of which will be shown live on Eurosport.

Source: Max Rally

WRC Rally Argentina: Mikkelsen on the up

Hans Christian Andersen was Danish – but Andreas Mikkelsen from Norway still believes in fairy tales, because so far his life has been written like one.

Having won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge against all the odds in a Skoda last year, he caught the attention of Volkswagen – competing with a Skoda team this year in the World Rally Championship as they prepare the new Polo R WRC.

And guess what? In the Fabia S2000 with its Wings For Life livery (Red Bull’s official charity, promoting research into spinal injury and rehabilitation) Mikkelsen is currently beating the established superstar Sebastien Ogier in the Rally Argentina: Volkswagen’s number one driver.

At first glance, it seems that Mikkelsen has everything. He was at the front of the queue when good looks were handed out and as soon as he passed his driving test aged 17 he was competing on rallies in Great Britain with a cutting-edge World Rally Car. He is still the youngest competitor ever to have scored points in the World Rally Championship, thanks to fifth place on the 2008 Rally Sweden.

When he moved to the IRC and won in Scotland three years later, Mikkelsen also became the youngest competitor ever to clinch an IRC round – aged just 22 years and four months. He also won the Italian Gravel Championship for good measure last year. So he’s clearly been listening to the advice from his coach and mentor, two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm.

But anybody who thinks that Mikkelsen has always had it easy needs to think again. At the end of the 2008 season his funding dried up, leaving a desperate Mikkelsen to rebuild his career all on his own. He admits that these were dark times. It would have been so easy to give up, walk away and find a more comfortable way of earning a living.

But instead he returned to Norway, living in a small flat in Oslo with his grandmother, and continued to chase his dream by calling and pestering anybody who might be able to help.

And that was the start of the story with Volkswagen Motorsport and Wings For Life. He already put in a mightily impressive showing at the Rally Sweden this year with the fledgling team, heading Ogier for much of the rally before eventually finishing 13th, just two places behind him.

Now, in their second encounter, it’s once again Mikkelsen showing his experienced team mate the way throughout one of the toughest rallies of the year. Anyone wondering who’s going to get the coveted number two seat at Volkswagen would be well-advised not to look much further.

Source: RedBull.com

Andreas Mikkelsen impresses team-mate Ogier

Sebastien Ogier admits he's been impressed by team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen's pace on Philips Rally Argentina.

The Volkswagen Motorsport aces have been evenly matched for much of the day with Ogier three-tenths of a second in front of Mikkelsen at the midday service in Villa Carlos Paz.

While a puncture for Ogier and a broken suspension damper for Mikkelsen has distorted the battle, they are 20s apart heading to Friday’s final stage in their Super 2000 specification Skoda Fabias.

“It’s been interesting because Andreas has been pushing a lot and it’s close between us,” said Ogier, who is currently ninth overall, two places behind Mikkelsen. “I lost 50 seconds with a puncture and one tyre off the rim on stage four. Because I had no more spares I had to be really cautious on the last one, especially on the rough parts. Then he lost 25s with a broken suspension.

“The rally is still very long with 300 kilometres left. Now we have the same conditions so I hope the battle between us will continue to the end.”

Source: wrc.com

Mikkelsen vows to impress in Argentina

Andreas Mikkelsen wants to put on a strong showing when he makes his debut on Philips Rally Argentina, round five of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia, which starts on Thursday (26 April).

The highly rated Norwegian is a graduate of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy. He starts his second event of the year in a Volkswagen Motorsport Skoda Fabia Super 2000 as part of a programme evaluating prospective drivers for Volkswagen’s official WRC entry in 2013.

“It’s important to finish and to gather as much experience as possible,” said the 22-year-old, who won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2011. “Yet it’s also about showing my talent and proving that I’m capable of handling such a difficult rally well. The round in Argentina is very long and it’ll be important to find a good balance between speed and safety in order to keep from overtaxing the car. Fitness, too, will play a role. Even the preparation of the [pace] notes prior to the rally across this long distance demands the driver’s and the co-driver’s full concentration.”

Frenchman Sebastien Ogier will appear in a second Volkswagen-run Skoda. He is also expecting a tough challenge over the route, which features a competitive distance of 503 kilometres.

“It’s the longest rally I’ve ever driven,” said Ogier, who led in Argentina last season before finishing third. “For the drivers as well as for the mechanics, it’s likely to be a very strenuous run. You’ve got to manage your energy levels really well and the car, too, is in for an endurance test.”

Source: wrc.com

Experience key for Volkswagen in Argentina

Volkswagen Motorsport will put the development of its new-for-2013 Polo R WRC to one side when it enters Philips Rally Argentina next week.

The German squad is contesting this season’s FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia with a fleet of Skoda Fabia Super 2000s in readiness for its participation as a full-blown manufacturer entry next year.

It has stayed on after the recent rounds in Mexico and Portugal to test its Polo World Rally Car but with no testing planned until after the squad returns to its Hanover base from the trip to South America, the focus in Argentina will be on giving Sebastien Ogier and junior driver Andreas Mikkelsen experience of the event. At the same time, Volkswagen will also implement improvements to its logistical processes that have been reviewed following Rally Guanajuato Mexico in March.

“There are new stages this year so it’s important our drivers get some experience of those,” said team manager Sven Smeets. “Also, it’s only our second overseas rally and our first time doing a world championship rally in Argentina so there are things we will look to improve with our logistics [following our first overseas rally in Mexico]. There is now no more testing planned until after Argentina, which is how [the technical department] wanted it.”

Ogier has been an ever-present with Volkswagen this season, while Mikkelsen will be making his second appearance of the year with the team.

Source: wrc.com

Andreas Mikkelsen lost consciousness in Circuit crash

By Charlie Contadeli

Andreas Mikkelsen has described the incident that cost him victory on the Circuit of Ireland Rally last week and, for several seconds, left him unconscious.

Mikkelsen was dicing with Juho Hanninen for victory on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event when he lost control braking for a rain-coated left-hand turn on the first run through the Lisburn street stage.

His Skoda UK Motorsport Fabia made hefty contact with a protected hay bale leaving Mikkelsen momentarily concussed after it is understood his crash helmet struck part of his seat support.

“What cost us the chance of victory was a left-hand corner in Lisburn,” said Mikkelsen. “It was raining and very slippery and I just lost the car and went sideways into a hay bale, and we lost a lot of time. It was quite a hard hit. I was a bit dazed, and to be honest I don’t remember so much about it. I was happy to be able to finish the last three stages, because I wasn’t feeling so good.”

Following the incident Mikkelsen’s car was stationary for more than 30 seconds before he was able to complete the stage and finish the rally in second position. It has since emerged that his co-driver Ola Floene began prodding the young Norwegian before he regained consciousness.

Source: MaxRally

Mikkelsen to spend night in hospital following crash

Defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen will spend Saturday night in hospital following his accident on stage 12 of the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally.

Mikkelsen was challenging for victory on the event when he slid into protected hay bales at high speed after being caught out under braking on a wet surface.

Although co-driver Ola Fløene was uninjured, Mikkelsen reported feeling dazed when he eventually reached the stage finish following a delay of approximately 40 seconds.

“After complaining of feeling unwell, Andreas was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure where it was discovered that he has a perforated right eardrum, which will heal,” said a spokesperson for ŠKODA UK Motorsport. “As a further precaution Andreas will have a CT scan in the morning, although this is purely a precaution.”

Despite his accident, Mikkelsen was able to reach the finish of the event in second overall to maintain his lead at the top of the IRC drivers’ standings after three rounds.

Source: irc series.com

UPDATED!

Andreas Mikkelsen has been passed fit following precautionary hospital checks last night.

The defending Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion felt slightly unwell after his car slid at high speed into reinforced hay bales on the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally’s first Lisburn stage on Saturday afternoon.

Following the precautionary checks, Mikkelsen was back at the event headquarters in Armagh this morning where he took part in a prize draw for volunteer marshals.

“Andreas is absolutely fine and will carry on with his normal activities as normal,” said a spokesperson for Mikkelsen’s team, ŠKODA UK Motorsport.

Despite the incident in Lisburn, the 22-year-old Mikkelsen was able to finish in a highly credible second place on the asphalt event, his third podium placing out of three IRC starts this season.

Source: irc series.com

Hanninen edges away in Ireland after slight error by Mikkelsen

Juho Hanninen's Circuit of Ireland lead is up to nine seconds after a mistake by Andreas Mikkelsen amid a colossal battle between Skoda's two Intercontinental Rally Challenge champions.

After Hanninen took the lead on Friday night, Mikkelsen retaliated on Saturday's opener - where his rival confessed to being too cautious - and regained first place by 0.6 seconds.

But a big push by Hanninen on the Drumhillery stage, where Mikkelsen felt his soft tyres were the wrong choice, took the Finn back to the top by 1.6s, and when Mikkelsen then overshot a corner on Hollow, Hanninen found himself with the biggest lead anyone has enjoyed so far on the ultra-close event.

Jan Kopecky described the top two's pace as "crazy" and is now a minute behind in third in the second works Skoda.

Alastair Fisher crashed his M-Sport Ford on the first stage of the day, so fourth placed now belongs to top Peugeot driver Mathieu Arzeno (Sainteloc). After his penalties for being late into service on Friday evening, Arzeno's team-mate Craig Breen is now sixth, between Skoda men Robert Barrable and Sepp Wiegand.

Seven further stages remain, split across two loops later on Saturday.

Source: Autosport

Mikkelsen versus Hanninen again in Ireland

Once again, it's a two-Skoda breakaway at the front of a 2012 Intercontinental Rally Challenge round, as the series' most recent champions Andreas Mikkelsen and Juho Hanninen go head to head on the Circuit of Ireland.

Mikkelsen made small mistakes on both of the first loop's slippery full-length stages, brushing a gate on Legane, yet still managed to maintain a 2.8-second lead over Hanninen.

First on the road, Hanninen felt he lost too much tyre temperature waiting for the slightly delayed Legane stage to get underway, but was on the pace soon enough. Mikkelsen was also running heavier cuts on his tyres than Hanninen.

"We had a big wait on the startline - I don't know what the delay was," said Hanninen. "But then luckily it was drying up near the finish, so we gained more and more."

Canarias winner Jan Kopecky is already half a minute behind in third in the second works Skoda.

"I have to say I'm not happy with my driving," said Kopecky. "It's not my day today."

Craig Breen was best of the home contingent in fourth, with just eight seconds covering the WRC Academy champion, his Sainteloc team-mate Mathieu Arzeno, and the Ford of last week's Portugal WRC Academy winner Alastair Fisher after SS3. But then Breen arrived late into service following a fuel pump issue on the road section, so is set to pick up penalties.

Robert Barrable is next up, while Sepp Wiegand dropped back from this group with an SS3 puncture.

Source: Max Rally

Mikkelsen sets shakedown pace + Video

Andreas Mikkelsen has gone fastest in shakedown for the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally, round three of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Based on unofficial times issued just prior to the 21:30hrs finish, Mikkelsen had completed six runs of the 5.4-kilometre course close to the rally base in Armagh. He was credited with a fastest time of 3m21.9s in his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000.

“The first run was dry but after the second run it started to rain,” said the defending IRC champion. “Because of this we were able to try different tyre compounds in different conditions in preparation for the rally. Everything was good and we were quite happy because we could see how much time we would lose running a full wet tyre on a damp road. We also tried a different rear differential set-up.”

Juho Hänninen, IRC champion in 2010, was second quickest based on the unofficial timings in his factory ŠKODA. Craig Breen was the leading Peugeot 207 runner in third overall with Jan Kopecký fourth and Alastair Fisher fifth in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. French youngster Mathieu Arzeno completed the top six.

Robert Consani was the leading IRC Production Cup and IRC 2WD Cup contender in his Renault Mégane RS.

The Circuit of Ireland Rally gets underway with the Titanic Super Special Stage in Belfast at 17:00hrs local time on Friday.

Source: irc series.com

Barrable got a bird’s eye view from inside Mikkelsen’s Fabia S2000

Robert Barrable got a bird’s eye view from inside Andreas Mikkelsen’s Fabia S2000, when the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Champion took him for a high-speed ride during his pre-Circuit of Ireland Rally test in his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000.

The Billy Coleman Award winning driver from Swords in Co. Dublin had been testing his ŠKODA Ireland Fabia S2000 on the same section of road outside Aughnacloy, and seized the opportunity to see what the action’s like from the co-driver’s seat – for the very first time.

Andreas’ has considerably more experience driving the Fabia S2000 than Robert, so it was no surprise that the young Irishman enjoyed the experience.

“I was very impressed – I can see why Andreas is IRC champion,” said Robert. “He’s just so comfortable in the car, it’s amazing to watch.

“This is the first time I’ve been a passenger in a rally car at speed like this, and it was strange being in a car that’s so similar to my own and not being in control of it. I certainly picked up a few tips, especially in the corners where Andreas is a lot more aggressive than me.

“I really enjoyed the experience and would like to thank Andreas for giving me the opportunity to sit in with him.”

Source: Circuit of Ireland

Ola back in the flow

Ola Fløene returned to the co-driver’s seat today, still suffering from a nasty bout of ‘flu, but well enough to partner Andreas Mikkelsen, as the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Champions concluded their pre-Circuit of Ireland Rally testing.

Ola arrived in Ireland 24 hours later than planned, having spent the previous three days at home in bed with a fever. He missed the ŠKODA UK Motorsport team’s first day of testing, but returned to the factory-prepared Fabia S2000 today, as he and Andreas conclude their pre-event testing south of Monaghan.

It’s 5°C, with a bitterly cold wind and showers of hail – a vast contrast to the hot conditions inside the car, and far from ideal conditions for someone trying to fight off ‘flu.

“I will be okay,” says Ola. “The recce schedule is quite easy, as the stages are so close together, and I’ll do everything I can to be fit and well for the start of the rally on Friday.

“I’ve had so many telephones calls and emails, asking if I’m okay. I’d like to thank everyone for sending me their best wishes; it’s really been a nice surprise. ACHOO!”

Source: Andreas Mikkelsen Official Website

IRC - Mikkelsen gets new co-driver for Irish test

2 April 2012 - 21h44, by Olivier Ferret

Andreas Mikkelsen is testing for this week’s Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally today but his regular co-driver, Ola Fløene, wasn’t by his side when he got behind the wheel of his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000.

Andreas Mikkelsen is testing for this week’s Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally today but his regular co-driver, Ola Fløene, wasn’t by his side when he got behind the wheel of his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000.

Instead, Mikkelsen, the reigning Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion, has called up Juho Hänninen’s regular navigator Mikko Markkula to give Fløene an extra 24 hours at home in Norway as he recovers from a bout of ‘flu that has kept the IRC title-winning co-driver in bed in recent days.

Markkula, who has already finished his pre-event testing programme with Hänninen, kindly agreed to give up his day off – highlighting the great spirit in the ŠKODA family and the close working relationship between ŠKODA Motorsport and the works-supported UK team.

“Juho and Andreas’ pacenotes are quite different, but we agreed to do the notes in English so I didn’t have to learn Norwegian overnight,” said Markkula. “With Juho the pacenotes are in Finnish, but I have done some rallies with English notes, so it won’t be a problem. I know this test road well, as we were here on Saturday. It has everything you’d expect to find on an Irish lane – bumpy, fast, dips, jumps, junctions and gravel – so it’s perfect for testing.”

Overnight rain has made the test road near Aughnacloy wet and slippery – ideal conditions if the weather forecast for day one of the IRC qualifier on Friday night is to be believed.

Conditions are expected to dry today, and the ŠKODA UK Motorsport team plans a full day of testing, including some night running in preparation for Friday’s night stages. It is hoped Fløene will be well enough to partner Mikkelsen when he continues testing on Tuesday.

Source: Motorsport Nextgen

Meet Andreas Mikkelsen!

You're invited to a unique day of entertainment with SKODA UK's 2011 IRC drivers' Champion, Andreas Mikkelsen.

Come and join us!

Mikkelsen Extends IRC lead with 2nd Place on the Rally Islas Canarias

Las Palmas, 17 March, 2012 – ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen has extended his lead in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, after finishing 2nd on the Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés.

Co-driven by Ola Fløene, the IRC champion enjoyed an incredibly close battle with Jan Kopecký (ŠKODA Motorsport), as the two factory-prepared Fabia S2000 drivers set the fastest time on all 15 special stages. Despite driving flat out for more than two hours over the fast and twisty asphalt mountain roads high above the host town of Las Palmas, the gap between the leading two drivers was never more than 5.1 seconds – until an engine misfire on the final stage settled the battle in Kopecký’s favour. Andreas lost over 30 seconds on the final test and dropped to 2nd place – although the ŠKODA duo were still over three minutes ahead of the rest of the field.

The 1-2 result sees ŠKODA score maximum points for the second time this year, increasing its lead at the top of the IRC Manufacturers’ table.

Andreas had identified the Canary Island-based event as one of the most difficult IRC rounds to win, yet, running as car number 1 for the first time in his IRC career, he began by setting fastest time on the opening three stages. After the loop of stages had been repeated, his advantage was 5.1 seconds.

Andreas went into the overnight halt 1.2 seconds behind Kopecký, but regained the lead on Leg 2’s opening stage. A further two fastest times re-established a 4.4 second advantage, before Kopecký fought back on SS13 and 14. Kopecký was just 0.1 seconds quicker on the penultimate stage, despite Andreas running with a misfire for the last 3kms. He and Ola attempted to diagnose the fault before entering the final stage, but had to complete all 16.12kms with a misfire, costing them all hopes of victory. At the final service, the ŠKODA UK Motorsport engineers discovered the problem was a broken injector connector.

Andreas: “The whole team did such a fantastic job on this rally, so we are very unlucky to pick up a misfire so close to the finish. To finish second and score eighteen points is of course good, but I really wanted to win this rally and so did the team. I improved my driving on Tarmac a lot last year and also during this event, and whilst I’m really disappointed not to have scored my first IRC win on Tarmac here in Gran Canaria, I promise to come back stronger. Hopefully the Circuit of Ireland will be a good rally for us.”

The next round of the IRC is ŠKODA UK Motorsport’s home event, the Donnelly Group Circuit of Ireland Rally (6-7 April).

Source: Rally Buzz

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)