Andreas Mikkelsen has claimed his first victory for Škoda UK Motorsport by winning a two-day practice rally in Corsica, the venue for round three of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in May.
Mikkelsen and co-driver Ola Fløene were using the national level Ronde de la Giraglia event to test on asphalt in competitive conditions ahead of the next event on the IRC schedule, April’s Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés, plus the Tour de Corse a month later.
With two stages repeated three times on Saturday (the final loop in darkness) and two stages tackled twice on Sunday, the Bastia rally provided a good mix of road conditions to test on – ranging from smooth and very fast asphalt to twisty, bumpy and abrasive roads. Heavy rainfall prior to the start added to the challenge after stones and rocks were washed onto the mountain passes.
Mikkelsen spent the event, which he won by two and a half minutes, experimenting with various damper, spring and engine mapping settings.
Afterwards, the 21-year-old from Norway said: “The main purpose of this rally was to do some miles as part of our preparation for Gran Canarias, and for us it was really good training in an environment which was a proper rally, not only testing. With the stages here in Corsica repeated, we could gradually increase our speed without taking any risks because we got to know the roads so well.”