Mikkelsen gets Citroen chance
EX-VW star back in top class Meeke is secure, says boss
FORMER Volkswagen works WRC driver Andreas Mikkelsen has been signed by Citroen for Rally Sardinia later this month.
Since Volkswagen’s sudden withdrawal from the Word Rally Championship at the end of last year, the 27-year-old Norwegian and his co-driver Anders Jaeger have been competing in the second-tier WRC2 category in a Skoda Fabia, winning the class at the series’ Monte Carlo and Corsica rounds.
The deal is a one-off for the Italian leg of the championship for now and Citroen says that young Frenchman Stephane Lefebvre will return to the wheel of a C3 WRC for Rally Poland at the beginning of July.
Commenting on the deal, Mikkelsen said: “It’s an open secret that I have been looking for a solution to keep competing in the top category of the WRC since the end of 2016.
“I’m therefore very happy to be joining Citroen at Rally Italia Sardegna. The team has an impressive competitive record and I’m delighted to be able to work with them.
“I can’t wait to get my bearings in testing and then start working on preparing for the rally. I’ll no doubt be short of running time at the start, but the main thing for me is to be back racing in the leading category.”
Citroen team principal Yves Matton added: “After the first six rounds, it would appear that [our] results have fallen a little short of the targets we set for ourselves at the start of the year.
“At the same time, Andreas has been looking for a drive. We’ve therefore come to an agreement for him to compete at Rally Italia Sardegna. Given his limited preparation, we’re not giving him a specific target for the rally.”
Matton has also stated that this deal for Sardinia does not indicate Kris Meeke’s position at the squad is threatened. The Northern Irishman triumphed at Rally Mexico back in March, but has also crashed out of rallies on several occasions this season, leaving him ninth in the points standings.
“Mikkelsen’s deal is a oneoff for the Italian leg of the championship for now”