Andreas Mikkelsen recently returned to action with a dominant win in the European Rally Championship in Hungary.
Now will we see him back in the World Rally Championship for the Monza finale?
Possibly… Mikkelsen told DirtFish’s David Evans what he’s targeting and why.
Whether it was Harvey Firestone, Henry Ford, Colin Chapman or Carroll Shelby who said it, Andreas Mikkelsen agrees.
Talking to DirtFish about his chances of landing a seat for next month’s Rally Monza, he admitted his best opportunity was with a WRC2 team – where he felt more than ready to extoll the virtues of the ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ theory.
He believes WRC2 title contender Mads Østberg’s achievements for Citroën show the value of Rally2 manufacturers putting an experienced big name in their cars.
“I’m not going to pay to drive a Rally1 car [at Monza]. But I’m really interested to drive an R5 car again. I won in Hungary and I know what I can do"Andreas Mikkelsen
And he hopes to be part of that trend too.
“Citroën hired Mads and he really got the car performing with them,” Mikkelsen told DirtFish.
“When Mads is winning in that car, it’s bringing lots of customers to Citroën.
“We can see that. It’s so important to have a driver who can show the potential of the car and help the WRC2 teams to sell more.”
Mikkelsen is more than happy to perform such a role for someone in Italy.
“I’m not going to pay to drive a Rally1 car [at Monza],” he said.
“I do have some budget, like I told you before, but I want to make sure that’s used in the right place at the right time and maybe that’s in a [Rally1] car next season.
“But I’m really interested to drive an R5 car again. I won in Hungary and I know what I can do.
“It would be good to go to Monza.”
Mikkelsen drove for Škoda at the start of the 2017 season after he lost his top-class WRC seat due to Volkswagen’s exit.
He admitted relations remained strong with the company.
“I have always got on well with the guys at Škoda and, of course, we have kept in touch,” said Mikkelsen, whose career was also launched in part by his achievements in S2000 Skodas in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
“Nothing is sorted with anybody yet, but I’m working on it.”
Mikkelsen will also continue in the ERC for its next round in the Canary Islands.
