Mikkelsen confident of Saturday time gain

Andreas Mikkelsen says he is confident of fighting for victory on RACMSA Rally of Scotland, despite completing the two night stages on Friday 12.0s behind overall leader Guy Wilks.

Mikkelsen, pictured leaving the ceremonial start ramp in the grounds of Stirling Castle earlier this evening, is still chasing his maiden victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge at the wheel of his ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia Super 2000.

Prior to the opening stage, Mikkelsen said: “If we are 10 seconds off the lead when we head to bed tonight, there is no need to worry. The Carron Valley stage is really slippery, so it will be just a case of getting through it and then increasing our pace tomorrow.

“Preparations for Scotland have been very good and this is probably one of our strongest rallies of the year. We finished second in Scotland last year, but the conditions are a lot more wet, muddy and slippery this time. I can remember quite a lot of the roads, but because of the conditions we have changed most of the pace notes, so it will be a new challenge for us.”