Mikkelsen selected for young driver academy

Intercontinental Rally Challenge ace Andreas Mikkelsen has been confirmed as one of 12 drivers selected for the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.

The 21-year-old Norwegian was one of the successful applicants from an original list of 18 of motorsport’s most promising young stars.

He impressed the judges with his driving ability and level of fitness and will now receive extensive guidance in a number of areas of the sport including technical skills and safety training.

Mikkelsen, who drives for Škoda UK Motorsport in the IRC, said: “Getting to learn how the race drivers do things and how they prepare for the races is the biggest thing I have learned from the selection process. It’s not too different from the rally drivers, there’s more training on the track and the way they prepare mentally before a race: what they do and don’t think about before the start.”

Promising Dutch driver Kevin Abbring, who won two rounds of the IRC 2WD Cup in 2010, was also selected.