Andreas Mikkelsen to drive new Ford Fiesta S2000

Car giant Ford has chosen Andreas Mikkelsen (20) to debut its new Ford Fiesta S2000 in World Rally Championship.

Ford’s new Fiesta S2000 is without a doubt the most exciting car news in the rally world this year. High expectations for the new car have meant that Ford’s rally team, M-Sport, have chosen Norwegian rally talent Andreas Mikkelsen and his co-driver, Ola Fløene, to drive the car in Rally Sweden between 11-14 February.

Andreas Mikkelsen said: “We see this as a vote of confidence and it will be exciting to drive such a highly-anticipated car that has been built with the future in mind and fits perfectly into our long-term plan.”

Andreas Mikkelsen has driven in Rally Sweden once before, in 2008, when he ended up in 5th place overall in a Ford Focus WRC and became the youngest driver ever to take World Championship points.

Ford will give the car its competitive debut in the Monte Carlo Rally, which is not a World Rally Championship, from 20 – 23 January. WRC Driver Mikko Hirvonen has been given the honour of showcasing the car in the French Alps and it will be the same car that Andreas Mikkelsen will be driving in Sweden.

Manager Erik Veiby said: “Ford choosing Andreas as the driver in Sweden shows the position he has gained internationally. This will be an exciting season internationally for Andreas and Ola. All the details are not finalized yet, but we are close to a decision with regard to the IRC series and we are also working on joining the new S-WRC category.”

Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene have previously driven a Skoda Fabia S2000 with success. Among others, they won Spanish Rally Costa Brava in such a car last autumn. They also have experience from driving an Opel Corsa S2000.

In addition to extensive international competitions, Mikkelsen and Fløene will also compete in selected National Rally Championship rounds this year in a Subaru Impreza cup car. They got off to a flying start with a win in Group N in Rally Sigdal. Last year, Andreas Mikkelsen was Norwegian Champion in this category.

The next event for the duo is the Mountain Rally in Gol in a week’s time. After that, their full attention will be on Rally Sweden. They will have a test day with the new Ford Fiesta before the start of the Rally in Karlstad on Thursday 11 February.