Mikkelsen plans full attack on Golden Stage Rally

Andreas Mikkelsen has vowed to go on "maximum attack" when he contests the inaugural Love Cyprus Golden Stage Rally on Sunday 7 November.

The event, which takes place the day following the FxPro Cyprus Rally, the 12th and final round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge from 4-6 November, features a mixed-surface, 25-kilometre stage run twice. In addition to live television coverage on Eurosport and Cypriot channel Lumiere TV, the contest will carry a combined prize fund of 150,000 Euros.

"It’s great to have a stage like that," said Mikkelsen, who will drive an M-Sport Ford Fiesta S2000. "All the drivers will go maximum attack on this stage so to be a spectator there will be incredible."

Mikkelsen, a 21-year-old from Norway, will arrive in Cyprus on the back of his heroic run to second overall on RACMSA Rally of Scotland earlier this month, his best result in the IRC to date.

He said: "The stages in Cyprus are difficult and very twisty but I think we can get a strong result. Certainly it’s our aim to go very good there and hopefully finish the season with a podium. We’ve made lots of improvements over the year and I am sure we can get a strong result."