NEWS
Andreas Mikkelsen collected his 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge winning drivers' trophy at the official end of season gala prizegiving ceremony in Paris last night, and revealed that his title winning achievement with ŠKODA UK Motorsport didn't sink in until a week after the final round in Cyprus.
"Straight after Rally Cyprus I went to London for a big media event and there has been things happening all the time ever since," said Andreas. "When I eventually returned to Norway I was alone at home for a couple of days and watched the rally videos on YouTube....
Andreas Mikkelsen has become the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers' champion, after winning the title showdown decider, the Cyprus Rally, in his factory-prepared ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000.
In his first full season in the IRC, and his first with ŠKODA UK, Andreas' title is richly deserved as he's led the last six rounds of the series, won the final two rallies and set fastest time on an unmatched 38 special stages.
It's been a highly successful IRC campaign for ŠKODA, which successfully defended its IRC manufacturers' title....
ŠKODA drivers start this weekend's Cyprus Rally in the strongest position to add the Intercontinental Rally Challenge Drivers' title to the Manufacturers' title already won, when Andreas Mikkelsen (ŠKODA UK Motorsport), Jan Kopecký and Juho Hänninen (ŠKODA Motorsport) and Freddy Loix (BFO ŠKODA Rally Team) head to the final round of the series in a quartet of Fabia S2000s.
Although victory alone in Cyprus might not be enough for Andreas to lift the title, he will arrive on the Mediterranean island on top form. In a steadily-improving season, he and co-driver Ola Fløene have at times led the last five rallies in the Azores, Czech Republic, Hungary, Sanremo and Scotland – finishing on the podium twice before scoring a career-first IRC win last time out on the penultimate rally of the season....
A magnificent performance on the RACMSA Rally of Scotland has given ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000 driver Andreas Mikkelsen his maiden victory in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and given ŠKODA a hat-trick of wins on the event. At 22-years and 109 days old, Andreas becomes the youngest winner of an IRC event.
With Juho Hänninen (ŠKODA Motorsport) finishing 2nd, ŠKODA has retained its IRC title and become 2011 IRC Manufacturers' Champions, while six drivers – four of them ŠKODA drivers, including Andreas – are still in contention for the drivers' title with one round remaining....