.. on the Plains
17 year old Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen notched up his third career win on this weekend's Plains Rally. The penultimate round of the BTRDA National Rally Championship, based in Welshpool, was another test of Andreas's development, and the youngster duly delivered another victory after a close battle all day long.Over 45 stage miles lay in wait for Mikkelsen and his co-driver Ola Floene. Backed by Ford Norway and NTG, the RamSport run Ford Focus WRC05 was set for battle in the classic forest stages in and around the Dyfi Forests, made famous by their inclusion in the classic RAC rallies of old.For Mikkelsen of course, it was all very unfamiliar territory. The stages were new to the youngster, and a first stage retirement from the recent Park Systems Rally was not ideal preparation for the event. Despite that, Andreas was keen to learn as much as possible with another outing in the '05 specification car. Bright and sunny conditions meant that the stages were in excellent condition, and the fast gravel roads would be well suited to both car and driver.From the off, it was clear that Andreas would have to fight for a good result on the event. Local favourite Stuart Jones was immediately fastest on the opening stage - held in his back yard! The first proper stage of the rally would see Andreas and a host of other competitors beat the 'bogey' time for the stage, meaning they would all be accredited with the same stage time. Fellow Ford Focus WRC driver Jon Ingram was also on the pace as well, as a three way battle for the lead of the rally developed.Just seconds were in it as the battle ebbed and flowed. If Jones took a stage win, then Andreas would counter on the next to set a faster time, with Jones leading the way early on. Unfortunately, Jones would roll out of the event, and the battle was left between the two M-Sport cars for the win. Ingram pushed hard, but Mikkelsen pushed even harder over the closing stages, as he lead the rally from stage six to the finish. Just 9 seconds would separate the two drivers by the end of a thrilling day of close competition. Andreas was delighted to have taken win number two in the highly competitive BTRDA National Rally Championship this year:"Wow, what a tough day!' said Mikkelsen after the event. "That was a really close battle for the win, but fortunately we just had that little extra speed towards the end of the day. The car has been fantastic to drive, but I felt a little bit rusty at the beginning of the day. I've spent more time racing than rallying recently, so it took me a while to get myself tuned into things again. I'm still getting used to using the organiser supplied notes for events, as they are not perfectly suited to my driving, but I'm getting there. At the moment it is all about learning for me. Of course when you win your first ever rally people expect you to win everywhere, and believe me, it isn't that easy! It was a very hard battle today, and the pace of the other drivers involved was very very strong. I'm really pleased that we were able to see it through to the end, and most importantly, the car was completely unmarked which is important for our future plans. Most of all, I would like to thank everyone involved at RamSport for another very smooth performance today. Of course, I must also thank all the people who wish us well when we complete, as both Ola and myself enjoy hearing good things!'Mikkelsen will now put his recent circuit racing experience to the test in October. After promising displays on the Jim Clark and Manx rallies, Mikkelsen will head to Cork for the Cork '20' Rally, a round of the Irish International Tarmac Championship. A high class field will contest the event. Former works Ford driver Markko Martin will compete, as will British Rally Champion Mark Higgins, JWRC ace Guy Wilks in a Subaru WRC, and the very top Irish tarmac crews. The speed is expected to be very high on the event, and Andreas is looking forward to competing in Ireland for the first time. Andreas will contest the event in the Ford Focus WRC05.
