Mikkelsen couldn’t believe he was IRC champion

Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion Andreas Mikkelsen, who has re-signed for SKODA UK Motorsport to defend his title in 2012, has admitted that it took him some convincing before he realised he’d secured this year’s crown on the dramatic season finale in Cyprus earlier this month.

Mikkelsen was part of a five-way battle for the prestigious IRC crown on the mixed-surface event. He had to win the rally in order to top the final drivers’ standings.

“I really couldn’t believe that we’d won the IRC drivers’ title when I crossed the finish line of the Cyprus Rally,” said the 22-year-old. “We knew we had a chance of becoming 2011 champions. It was a slim chance, but it proves that in life you should never give up. The aim now is to try to become the first driver to successfully defend his IRC title. We’ll be back in 2012 in a factory-prepared SKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000 with that goal and to support SKODA in claiming the manufacturers’ title for the third year running.”