Andreas Mikkelsen satisfied despite Acropolis woe

Andreas Mikkelsen says the experience he gained on his Acropolis Rally debut last month more than made up for the disappointment of his retirement on the final day of Greece’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Co-driven by Ola Floene, Mikkelsen was on course for a top 10 finish in his Volkswagen Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia Super 2000 when disaster struck on stage 18 of the 22-stage event.

“I misunderstood a [pace note from] Ola and went into a corner too quickly,” said the 22-year-old Norwegian. “When I noticed I braked, but sideswiped a rock and damaged the left rear suspension.

“On one hand I’m somewhat disappointed but on the other hand I’m very satisfied. We were able to collect experience on the stages, which were completely new to us and also see that we could essentially maintain the pace of our team mates. On the other hand there is our late retirement.”

There were no such problems for Mikkelsen’s team-mate Sebastien Ogier who finished seventh overall, the fourth event in succession that the French driver has scored WRC points.

“We achieved the maximum with our Fabia S2000,” said Ogier. “The rally with its long days was also a real challenge for our team and I can only thank and congratulate the crew for its performance.”

Source: wrc.com

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Mixed feelings on Greece outcome for Andreas Mikkelsen

Norwegian ace had to call it early in Greece after an error on special stage 18, but Andreas Mikkelsen still claims he is satisfied with the overall pace behind the wheel of Škoda Fabia S2000.

Mikkelsen was once again pushing Sebastien Ogier until being instructed by the team to bring the car safely home. Unfortunately for him that did not exactly happen as another mistake sent Mikkelsen and his co-driver Ola Fløene out of the rally. There is no doubt Mikkelsen is fast, very fast, but quite like Jari-Matti Latvala he needs to find the balance to keep it on the road.

“On the one hand I’m very satisfied, and on the other somewhat disappointed,” summarised the 22-year old Mikkelsen. “We were able to collect experience on the stages which were completely new to us and also see that we could essentially maintain the pace of our team mates. On the other hand there is our late retirement: I misunderstood a statement for Ola and went into a corner too quickly. When I noticed I braked, but sideswiped a rock and damaged the left rear suspension.”

Source: World Rally Blog

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Andreas Mikkelsen rules out fighting Ogier on Acropolis Rally

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Drive of the Day - Sweden day 2: Andreas Mikkelsen

By Anthony Peacock

As team leader for Volkswagen Motorsport, Sebastien Ogier isn't exactly used to being beaten by his team-mate – not when it comes to stage times at least.

But this time it looks like Ogier might just have a worthy rival in Andreas Mikkelsen, who has been given the drive in the second Volkswagen Motorsport Skoda Fabia S2000 on selected events this year.

So far Mikkelsen has taken the fight to Ogier with determination, making him one of the favourites to land the second permanent seat alongside the Frenchman next year.

"It's been a good start to this rally, but there are a few things still to come," said the 22-year-old Norwegian, who normally drives a Fabia S2000 for the Skoda UK team in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. "I'm already used to the car and I love driving on snow, so it hasn't taken me a long time to adapt."

Mikkelsen became the youngest driver ever to score world championship points when he finished fifth on the 2008 Rally Sweden.

"It's a fantastic experience being here now in a factory team like Volkswagen: it's a huge organisation and you learn so much from it," added the 22-year-old.

"It's been great working with Sebastien Ogier too: he has been absolutely fantastic with me and we have a very good relationship. I don't know what the future holds for me with Volkswagen, but I just want to make the most of the chance that I have now."

Source: Max Rally

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Stars flock to Finnskog

Rally Finnskog includes eight stages, four individual tests run twice, varying in length from 6.97 kilometres to 23.78 kilometres. The event will be Hirvonen’s first taste of the Citroen DS3 WRC on loose-surface competition. He will, however, have tested the car ahead of the event.

Joining the Finn in Norway will be Fiesta RS WRC drivers Mads Ostberg and Eyvind Brynildsen, both of whom drive under the Adapta team banner. Ostberg needs no introduction, having led and challenged Hirvonen all the way through last year’s Rally Sweden before finishing a close second.

Andreas Mikkelsen is likely to be among the pace-setters in the Super 2000 category on Saturday, driving a Skoda Fabia. The Norwegian will be chased hard by PROTON’s P-G Andersson, who gives the Satria-Neo S2000 its debut on a snow rally, while bagging valuable set-up data ahead of next week’s Rally Sweden. Craig Breen is another top Super 2000 competitor in his Ford Fiesta, while Anders Grondal will provide a Group N benchmark in his Subaru.

Saturday won’t be the last time Norwegian rally fans see the stars of the World Rally Championship as Rally Sweden spends much of its opening day across the border on stages centred on the town of Kongsvinger.

Source: WRC.com

"Testdrive today with EVEN Rally team mate Pontus Tidemand – good fun!," said Mikkelsen in his Official Website

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Audio: Andreas Mikkelsen on His IRC Championship & The WRC

In Segment Two we talk with Andreas Mikkelsen, the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion, who drove for Skoda UK last year. He'll be back in the IRC this year and doing some selected events for Volkswagen in the SWRC starting in Sweden in a month. Mikkelsen will start his season in a Norwegian national event this weekend. He's been working out in the Norwegian mountains to prepare for the season. That's where we find him for this conversation. This is another exclusive THS Breakout interview on the world's only weekly topical webcast on sports car racing, rallying, drifting and time attack.

To hear the interview click here ByBillWood.Com

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Volkswagen to run Kevin Abbring and Andreas Mikkelsen in WRC this year

Volkswagen Motorsport has confirmed that it will run Kevin Abbring and Andreas Mikkelsen as official junior drivers in this year's World Rally Championship.

The pair, who were both part of last year's inaugural FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy, will alternate drives in the sister Skoda Fabia S2000 to VW team leader Sebastien Ogier.

Abbring will drive the car on next week's Monte Carlo Rally, while reigning Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Mikkelsen gets his first outing of the season on round two, Rally Sweden, in February.

Discussing the Valence and Monaco-based event next week, 22-year-old Dutchman Abbring said: "Sebastien Ogier and [his co-driver] Julien Ingrassia are fantastic driver colleagues. Sebastien is currently one of the world's best three rally racers. It's a great honour for me to be in the same team with him and to compete in the same car."

In addition to his VW commitments, Mikkelsen will make a full defence of his IRC title as the Norwegian hopes to become the first driver to take back-to-back crowns.

VW has been tipped to contest all rounds of this year's WRC with its Skodas while at the same time developing the Polo R WRC. Neither of the cars have been registered for the Super 2000 World Rally Championship.

Source: Autosport

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Mikkelsen returns to the Volkswagen Motorsport squad on Sweden

Andreas Mikkelsen returns to the Volkswagen Motorsport squad, driving one of the German firm's Skoda Fabia S2000s for the second time after his debut in Finland last season. Mikkelsen, of course, partners Sebastien Ogier.

The first day of Rally Sweden of this year is actually based in Norway - so Andreas will debut on WRC in this season in your own home country.

As part of his pre-season testing programme, Andreas Mikkelsen will contest this Saturday’s Mountain Rally in Norway in his title-winning ŠKODA Fabia S2000 - which is now owned by his manager, Erik Veiby.

Read more info about Mountain Rally here and here! To see the Rally Sweden 2012 full entry list click here Andreas is the number 34 in the list.

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Who's Andreas Mikkelsen?

Mikkelsen has a broad background in sports. He has competed in slalom and giant slalom, and was a member of the national juniors' alpine skiing team. In 2003 and 2004, he competed in motocross, also representing the national juniors' team.

After turning 17 and getting a British driver's license, Mikkelsen started competing in rallies in the United Kingdom. Driving a Ford Focus WRC, he won the Quinton Stages, the Coracle, the Plains, the Bulldog and the Cambrian Rally, as well as the Saaremaa Rally in Estonia.

Mikkelsen debuted in the World Rally Championship at the 2006 Rally GB and retired from the 14th special stage after going off the road. In the 2007 season, he competed in eight WRC events, and also took part in the Irish Tarmac Championship and the Norwegian Rally Championship. His best WRC results were ninth at the 2007 Rally Ireland and tenth in Norway and Portugal.

For the 2008 season, Mikkelsen had some exclusive coaching from Ford's retired double world champion Marcus Grönholm. Even though having major problems with turbocharger on Friday's stages, he achieved the best result of his WRC career so far by claiming fifth in the 2008 Swedish Rally, beating Matthew Wilson's 2006 record of being the youngest driver ever to score points in a WRC event. He intended to compete in all of the championship rounds in Europe, whilst completing his final year in school.

During Rally Larvik in September 2009, Mikkelsen was involved in an accident, when he got a slide on his car and hit a 10-year-old spectator, killing her instantly. Mikkelsen, in the Ford Fiesta S2000, on his way to second place on the 2010 Rally Scotland.

In 2010, Mikkelsen competed in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge driving a Ford Fiesta S2000 with a best finish of second on the 2010 Rally Scotland. He placed seventh in the overall standings. Mikkelsen drove a Super 2000 car also on three WRC rounds, and won the SWRC class at the season-ending 2010 Wales Rally GB. Following a strong 2010 campaign, Mikkelsen signed with the Skoda UK Motorsport team for the 2011 IRC season.

In 2011, Andreas will contest the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in a Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000, co-driven by Ola Fløene.

Source: Wikipedia

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