Mikkelsen ready to defend IRC title

Andreas Mikkelsen says he’s ready to begin his Intercontinental Rally Challenge title defence on SATA Rallye Açores following a successful shakedown this morning.

“We only wanted to do a few runs over the shakedown stage and everything went according to plan,” said the ŠKODA UK Motorsport driver. “We’re as well prepared as we can be. The build up to this rally has been perfect and I’m looking forward to this afternoon’s opening stages.”

Mikkelsen has already driven his Fabia Super 2000 at high speed in the Azores when he joined his IRC rivals on the City Stage in Ponta Delgada on Wednesday night. The stage wasn’t part of the official event itinerary but it nevertheless proved a huge hit with fans and drivers alike.

“It was great to see so many spectators out watching and it was good fun,” said Mikkelsen, who finished second in the Azores last season.

The first of 14 special stages, Coroa Da Mata, gets underway at 14:29hrs local time today.