ŠKODA Rally Team Italia and Andreas Mikkelsen will start the Azzano Rally on Saturday (October 1) in a bid to keep his challenge for the Trofeo Rally Terra (Italian Gravel Rally Trophy) firmly on course.
Fresh from his charging run to second overall on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge-counting Rallye Sanremo on mountain roads overlooking Italy's Liguria coastline last Saturday, Mikkelsen will be back on gravel for his fourth appearance in the hugely competitive TRT series.
Having missed the last round, Rally San Crispino, due to a clashing IRC event, Mikkelsen is second in the drivers' standings, eight points behind established Italian rally ace Andrea Aghini. With a coefficient of 1.5 being applied for this weekend's event, Mikkelsen knows a strong finish is essential in order to maintain his push for the coveted TRT crown.
"It's the penultimate round of the championship so it's important to score well as we have a really good chance for the title," said ŠKODA Rally Team Italia principal Pierfrancesco Zanchi. "It's quite a medium-speed rally, not too rough. Although Andreas has no experience of the rally, we have run a car there before so can offer him some advice. Besides, Andreas and Ola Fløene, his co-driver, have proved many times this season that they can adapt to a new event very quickly and show good pace from the start."
In addition to Aghini, Luca Rossetti is also expected to prove a threat to Mikkelsen on the Azzano Rally. The double European champion lives close to the rally route and will be out to impress his home fans. However, because Rossetti is not registered for TRT points, Mikkelsen is under orders not to become embroiled in a battle for victory with the Italian.
"For sure Rossetti will be fast and hard to beat because it's his home rally," said Zanchi. "But Andreas has to remember he is not a factor in the championship."
Mikkelsen, 22, has savoured two victories in the TRT this season. He said: "I've got to go for the win for the title but it won't be easy because the competition will be strong. It's a new rally for me but basically it's just three stages, one repeated once and two repeated twice. I like driving on gravel and will be doing my best to win for ŠKODA Rally Team Italia."
The Azzano Rally is based in the Fruili-Venezia Guilia region in the north east of Italy around the town of Pordenone, a 500-kilometre trip from ŠKODA Rally Team Italia's base in Oleggio Castello near Milan. The event consists of eight stages over a competitive distance of 101.03 kilometres. The first stage starts at 0808hrs local time on Saturday October 1. The final stage is due to get underway at 1743hrs.