Andreas Mikkelsen will start his first event of 2023 on next weekend’s Qatar International Rally, where he’ll be joined by old World Rally Championship rivals Mads Østberg and Emil Lindholm.
All three drivers – who, neatly, are the last three WRC2 champions – will drive Škoda Fabia Rally2 evos prepared by Sports Racing Technologies (SRT).
It will be Østberg’s second attempt at the rally after he debuted and led in 2022 before retiring with a water leak following a heavy landing, but it will be a first for both Mikkelsen and Lindholm.
Mikkelsen’s entry is of particular interest as since debuting Škoda’s new Fabia RS Rally2 on the Lausitz Rallye late last year, he looked set for a return to Hyundai and Rally1 machinery only for Mikkelsen’s deal to be kiboshed by the recruitment of Esapekka Lappi.
Another WRC2 champion, local expert Nasser Al-Attiyah, will be a firm favorite for victory in his VW Polo.
“We are delighted to announce a formidable entry for Qatar’s round of the regional rally championship,” said Amro Al-Hamad, executive director of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).
“This is the third year we have attracted some top names from the WRC and we have a record nine Rally2 cars in the field, including five drivers from Qatar.
“We have two winners of WRC rallies, the last three WRC2 winners, our five-time Dakar Rally winner and four drivers who have previously won rounds of the MERC.”
