ŠKODA Rally Team Italia and Andreas Mikkelsen has won the 2011 Trofeo Rally Terra after finishing third on Rally Conca d'Oro, the sixth and final round of the series in Sicily last weekend.
Co-driven by Ola Fløene, 22-year old Mikkelsen rounded out a hugely successful season at the wheel of his ŠKODA Rally Team Italia Fabia Super 2000, which included winning three of the five events he contested and scoring a total of 110 points.
Rally Conca d'Oro took place near Sicily's capital Palermo with the crews completing nine special stages totalling 100.5 competitive kilometres. Mikkelsen won the first seven stages to build a lead of 1m34.7s before the onset of a small electrical problem dropped him back to sixth position.
Undeterred, he fought back on the final stage to finish an impressive third overall and clinch the title. His efforts also handed ŠKODA Italia the runner-up spot in the manufacturers' standings.
"First and foremost I wish to congratulate Andreas, Ola and all the team for achieving such a great result," said Pierfrancesco Zanchi, team principal of ŠKODA Rally Team Italia. "Becoming the new Italian Gravel champion is the best reward we could receive for all the hard work and energy we've invested during the season. We won three out of five rallies, which proves how competitive we are on gravel. Andreas and Ola adapted themselves quickly to unfamiliar events, the team worked hard, the car always rose to the occasion. We had a very competitive package and we managed to make the most out of it."
Mikkelsen, a member of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy, added: "I'm really happy to have won the TRT title and I'd like to thank Ola and all of the team for their fantastic support and for having made it possible. I've very much enjoyed taking part in the TRT with ŠKODA Rally Team Italia this year, particularly because my IRC programme has mostly been on asphalt. The ŠKODA Fabia was perfect, enabling me to push to the limit without making mistakes. There's no time to rest though as now we head to Cyprus for the final round of the IRC this week. It's been tough to combine the TRT events with the IRC programme but I really hope to have the chance to go rallying in Italy again next year."
Norwegian Mikkelsen triumphed on Rally Adriatico, Rally San Marino and the Azzano Rally. A clashing event forced him to miss Rally San Crispino, while a problem caused by the rough nature of the roads in Sardinia forced his retirement from the island's Rally Costa Smeralda when he was leading.