Mikkelsen calls on D’Esposito’s secrets for Targa Florio debut

Andreas Mikkelsen will have a secret weapon up his sleeve when he resumes his bid for a second Intercontinental Rally Challenge title in Sicily this week.

Mikkelsen has never tackled Targa Florio-Rally Internazionale Di Sicilia before so has called upon the expertise of Dario D’Esposito, team co-ordinator at ŠKODA UK Motorsport, to provide him with vital knowledge of the testing asphalt round.

Before turning to team coordination, D’Esposito (pictured) was a successful co-driver at both national and international level. He finished sixth on his last competitive appearance on the Targa Florio in 2004.

“We’ve had some very good runs on asphalt this year in the IRC, so hopefully that will continue in Sicily,” said Norwegian Mikkelsen. “I’ve been to the island before, but only for a gravel rally and I know very little about the Targa Florio, expect that it is held on very slippery Tarmac. I expect a lot of tough competition, especially from the Italian drivers who have done the event before, so it won’t be easy – but I will do my best and see where we end up in the results.”

After four rounds of this year’s IRC, which enjoys extensive coverage on Eurosport, Mikkelsen heads the drivers’ standings.