Italian victory boosts Mikkelsen for Azores

Andreas Mikkelsen’s SKODA UK Motorsport team boss Pierfrancesco Zanchi reckons his driver’s victory on Rally di San Marino last weekend will hand him a major boost as he prepares to tackle Sata Rallye Acores for a second time next week.

Mikkelsen, who was competing on the Italian Gravel Trophy round in a SKODA Rally Team Italia Fabia Super 2000, similar to the one he uses in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, finished fourth in the Azores last season in an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000.

“We needed to win in San Marino and that’s exactly what we did”, said Zanchi. “We are pleased to be leading the [Italian Gravel] championship and are very confident ahead of Sata Rallye Acores.”

Of his victory on the gravel stages in and around San Marino, Mikkelsen said: “The strategy was to take a lead and maintain it carefully. We watched our competitors and maintained a comfortable lead without pushing so hard that we made errors.”

Mikkelsen, from Norway, is seventh in the IRC drivers’ standings after five rounds.