Škoda UK Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen achieved exactly what he set out to do on the Rally Islas Canarias Trofeo El Corte Inglés – and that was to enjoy a completely trouble-free run in his Fabia S2000 and finish in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) points. Co-driven by Ola Fløene, Andreas finished a solid 6th overall after a faultless drive.
It was a fantastic rally for Škoda Motorsport, which finished the event in 1st and 2nd positions for the second year running. In an exciting final stage showdown, IRC champion Juho Hänninen beat his team-mate, and last year’s rally winner, Jan Kopecký to win by just 1.5 seconds.
On his first attempt at the Rally Islas Canarias, Andreas drove hard but took no risks as he guided his Fabia S2000 over the fast and twisty mountain asphalt roads. Conditions were largely dry and sunny, although thick fog and drizzle made conditions tricky on the night stage on Friday. Unfortunately, the second night stage was cancelled for safety reasons, as there were too many spectators in SS8, which was a disappointment for everyone – and not least Andreas, who had just moved up into 5th position.
As the top four crews set an incredibly fast pace, Andreas resisted the temptation to throw caution to the wind and chase after them, and instead stuck to the team’s strategy of taking no risks. His intelligent and precision driving was rewarded with a valuable points-scoring result.
Andreas: “Our goal was to come here and finish in the points and that is exactly what we have achieved, so I am very happy. We could have pushed harder, but it would have meant taking a few risks and we did not come here to do that. Our IRC campaign is up and running, we have good points on the board and we leave here with a very good foundation on which to build our championship campaign on.
“My Fabia S2000 was perfect this weekend and I’d like to thank the team for making sure it ran like clockwork. It’s been a fantastic rally for the Škoda brand, and congratulations to Juho [Hänninen], Jan [Kopecký] and everyone at Škoda Motorsport on a great one-two result.”
The next round of the IRC is the Tour de Corse (13-15 May).
Rally Islas Canarias Trofeo El Corte Inglés – top 10
1. Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula (Škoda Fabia S2000)…1hr 40mins 38.1sec
2. Jan Kopecký/Petr Starý (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+1.5s
3. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+8.2s
4. Freddy Loix/Frédéric Miclotte (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+16.7s
5. Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+48.3s
6. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+55.6s
7. Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+1m00.6s
8. Bruno Magalhães/Paulo Grave (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+1m49.8s
9. Giandomenico Basso/Mitia Dotta (Proton Satria Neo S2000)…+2m37.8s
10. Toni Gardemeister/Tapio Suominen (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+2m38.2s
