Mikkelsen not afraid of strong IRC rivals

Andreas Mikkelsen, who will defend his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title with SKODA UK Motorsport in 2012, says he is not afraid of the close nature of the competition in the IRC and believes
it’s actually making him better as a driver.

The winning margin on four rounds of last season’s IRC was less than two seconds with a mere 0.8s separating Jan Kopecky and Thierry Neuville at the finish of the Canon Mecsek Rallye in Hungary last
September. Mikkelsen believes the battle for position in the IRC is the closest there is.

“The competition is really, really strong, especially on Tarmac”, said Mikkelsen, 22. “It’s definitely a
place where I can really develop as a driver and push myself because the level of the drivers is so high. There are many drivers in the IRC who can win rallies; it’s tough competition and you
really need to be on the pace out of the blocks to have a chance to win.”

Mikkelsen and co-driver Ola Floene will begin their IRC title defence on Sata Rallye Acores from 23-25 February.