Motorsport / Andreas Mikkelsen
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Motorsport
Andreas Mikkelsen Returned to the Podium
The May Rally of Portugal is usually characterised by sunny weather and dusty gravel roads. This time, however, torrential rain hit the course, so part of the special stages took place in mud. The Spanish crew of Jan Solans and Rodrigo Sanjuán in a Fabia RS Rally2 fought for victory in the WRC2 category until the penultimate special stage. In the challenging conditions, however, they went off the track and lost more than two minutes. In the final standings, this was enough for fourth place.
Andreas Mikkelsen and his co-driver Jørn Listerud made it onto the podium in their Fabia RS Rally2, finishing third. The Norwegian driver thus returned to the top ranks for the first time since his victorious 2023 season.
Three other crews in Škoda rally cars finished in the top ten of the WRC2 category. Robert Virves put in a remarkable performance, even though he did not include the Rally of Portugal among the seven events in which he is competing for points toward the overall WRC2 standings. Nevertheless, he took the start. He set the absolute fastest time on one of the special stages, outperforming even all the crews in the more powerful Rally1 class cars.
Japan Rally
In previous years, the tarmac Japan Rally was held as late as November, at the end of the season. This year, however, the teams headed to the island of Hokkaido as early as the end of May. Emil Lindholm and his co-driver Gabriel Morales finished in fourth place in their Fabia RS Rally2. The Finnish driver admitted that the course, with its narrow, winding roads and variable grip, presented a challenge for him. “This isn’t the result we came here for. But in the end, we have to be happy that we made it to the finish in one piece”, said Lindholm at the finish of the final stage.
The World Rally Championship continues on 25–28 June with the Acropolis Rally in Greece.