Andreas Mikkelsen’s bid for his first points of the season in the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia have been dashed after the Norwegian was forced to retire from day two of the Acropolis Rally.
Mikkelsen had moved ahead of Volkswagen Motorsport team-mate Sebastien Ogier into eighth overall after the French driver’s Skoda Fabia Super 2000 suffered powersteering failure on stage 15.
However, Mikklesen’s challenge would soon falter when 13.47 kilometres into the 18.40-kilometre Kefalari test he stopped with a rising water temperature issue.
“In the middle it was suddenly the water temperature rising,” said the 22-year-old. “The temperature was 120 degrees and I had to stop. One pipe had come off, we managed to repair it but now we retire and we continue tomorrow.”
Mikkelsen is hoping extensive checks and repairs by his mechanics will allow him to restart under Rally 2 rules on Sunday.
Volkswagen is contesting the bulk of this year’s world championship schedule in preparation for a full assault in 2013 when the German make will debut its Polo R World Rally Car. Mikkelsen is being assessed as a potential factory driver.