Strong performance from Andreas Mikkelsen in the Citroën C3 WRC
Andreas Mikkelsen did his job at his WRC comeback and Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT rewards him with a new chance at the next WRC round. “I’m really looking forward to driving Rally Poland” he said.
June 11, 2017
Andreas Mikkelsen did his job at his WRC comeback and Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT rewards him with a new chance at the next WRC round. “I’m really looking forward to driving Rally Poland” he said.
Rally Italia Sardegna was the 27-year-old’s debut in a Citroën C3 WRC and this WRC round was all about getting to know the car and get to the finish. Andreas Mikkelsen and his co-driver Anders Jæger succeeded with the task. Eventually they finished eighth and were also the best Citroën drivers. After a series of disappointing events, Kris Meeke has been informed that he will be replaced by Andreas in Poland and he, Craig Breen and Stéphane Lefebvre will form Citroën’s team at the next WRC round.
“We took it step by step and got some answers during the weekend. Of course it feels great that the Citroën team is so pleased that they’re giving me the opportunity to do Rally Poland as well” said Andreas.
Nobody could expect Andreas Mikkelsen to score a top result at his first event for Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT. With just a small test ahead of the rally, he and the team focused on getting to know the car better at Sardinia.
“It’s difficult to test everything you want to at one event – we are simply not allowed to. There are still things to work on, but with a proper test ahead of Poland, I think we can deliver a good result” he said.
And the Polish WRC round is not just any rally for the Norwegian. While he previously has struggled to get top results in Sardinia, the situation is the opposite in Poland. He took the win there last year and finished second both in 2015 and 2014.
“It will be fun to drive in Poland, that’s my favorite event. So I’m really looking forward to it and I’m grateful that I get the chance” said Andreas, who also gets great feedback from the team.
“Andreas’ approach has been constructive and positive for us. After his test before the event, we knew that he needed more time to get the car optimized for his driving style. In addition to eighth place, we are pleased with what his entry has contributed to. Andreas has managed to identify the most important points we need to work with in order to achieve further improvements” said team manager Yves Matton.