Hetzer
Forumguru
Andreas Mikkelsen will contest Rally San Marino next week knowing that victory will be vital in his efforts to win the Trofeo Rally Terra (Italian Gravel Rally Championship) title at the wheel of his ŠKODA Rally Team Italia Fabia Super 2000.
Mikkelsen scored maximum points on the season-opening Rally Adriatico in early April but was denied victory on Rally Costa Smeralda in May when he retired from the lead after damaging his car on the rock-strewn roads of Sardinia. With the fourth round, next month’s Rally San Crispino, not on Mikkelsen’s schedule due to his clashing commitments in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the 22-year-old knows that he needs to claim as many points as possible on the third round of the series in San Marino.
“We entered the TRT with the aim of winning the championship,” said the Norwegian ace. “This is still our goal and we believe it is achievable. We have shown great pace in the championship and I am really feeling the handling of the Fabia S2000. Yes, it will be more difficult now because we retired from Rally Costa Smeralda and we cannot contest Rally San Crispino, but with a win this weekend we can put ourselves firmly in contention for the title.”
Mikkelsen, who will be co-driven by Ola Fløene, is braced for a tough battle for supremacy in San Marino. He continued: “The competition will be huge in San Marino this year. There will be a lot of very experienced drivers competing but I must make sure that I beat them all. I’ll need to watch out for the top runners such as Andrea Aghini and Piero Longhi, who has won three times before. We must also remember to look out for Andrea Navara, who will be driving on his home ground.”
Rally San Marino, which runs from July 1/2, features 11 stages over a competitive distance of 127.42 kilometres. The stages in the mountains in and around San Marino are made up of a mixture of fine and sandy gravel tracks and are notoriously challenging.
“These roads can become very slippery when dry and, when wet, large lumps of sandy gravel can be lifted from the surface exposing rocks and holes,” explained the ŠKODA Rally Team Italia principal Pierfrancesco Zanchi. “But there are no excuses and we can make no mistakes. We need to go into this rally full of confidence and we must come out with a win.”
“It is not a fast rally,” Zanchi continued, “the average speed is around 95kph, so if Andreas remains his usual calm and collected self, and carries on showing the pace that he has in the last few rounds, he will be in with a very good chance of winning.”
Following Rally San Marino, Mikkelsen’s next scheduled TRT appearance will be the Azzano Rally from September 30 to October 1.
ŠKODA Rally Team Italia, which is based in Oleggio Castello near Milan, has forged a strong reputation for preparation excellence in rallying achieving numerous victories and podium finishes. In addition to overseeing Mikkelsen’s TRT bid ŠKODA Rally Team Italia prepares the ŠKODA Hungaria Fabia S2000 used by Norbert Herczig in the Hungarian Rally Championship and Mikkelsen’s ŠKODA UK Motorsport entry in the IRC.
bron: www.andreasmikkelsen.no
Mikkelsen scored maximum points on the season-opening Rally Adriatico in early April but was denied victory on Rally Costa Smeralda in May when he retired from the lead after damaging his car on the rock-strewn roads of Sardinia. With the fourth round, next month’s Rally San Crispino, not on Mikkelsen’s schedule due to his clashing commitments in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, the 22-year-old knows that he needs to claim as many points as possible on the third round of the series in San Marino.
“We entered the TRT with the aim of winning the championship,” said the Norwegian ace. “This is still our goal and we believe it is achievable. We have shown great pace in the championship and I am really feeling the handling of the Fabia S2000. Yes, it will be more difficult now because we retired from Rally Costa Smeralda and we cannot contest Rally San Crispino, but with a win this weekend we can put ourselves firmly in contention for the title.”
Mikkelsen, who will be co-driven by Ola Fløene, is braced for a tough battle for supremacy in San Marino. He continued: “The competition will be huge in San Marino this year. There will be a lot of very experienced drivers competing but I must make sure that I beat them all. I’ll need to watch out for the top runners such as Andrea Aghini and Piero Longhi, who has won three times before. We must also remember to look out for Andrea Navara, who will be driving on his home ground.”
Rally San Marino, which runs from July 1/2, features 11 stages over a competitive distance of 127.42 kilometres. The stages in the mountains in and around San Marino are made up of a mixture of fine and sandy gravel tracks and are notoriously challenging.
“These roads can become very slippery when dry and, when wet, large lumps of sandy gravel can be lifted from the surface exposing rocks and holes,” explained the ŠKODA Rally Team Italia principal Pierfrancesco Zanchi. “But there are no excuses and we can make no mistakes. We need to go into this rally full of confidence and we must come out with a win.”
“It is not a fast rally,” Zanchi continued, “the average speed is around 95kph, so if Andreas remains his usual calm and collected self, and carries on showing the pace that he has in the last few rounds, he will be in with a very good chance of winning.”
Following Rally San Marino, Mikkelsen’s next scheduled TRT appearance will be the Azzano Rally from September 30 to October 1.
ŠKODA Rally Team Italia, which is based in Oleggio Castello near Milan, has forged a strong reputation for preparation excellence in rallying achieving numerous victories and podium finishes. In addition to overseeing Mikkelsen’s TRT bid ŠKODA Rally Team Italia prepares the ŠKODA Hungaria Fabia S2000 used by Norbert Herczig in the Hungarian Rally Championship and Mikkelsen’s ŠKODA UK Motorsport entry in the IRC.
bron: www.andreasmikkelsen.no