The Norwegian driver participated in two tarmac events in Hyundai’s third Rally1 car earlier this season with poor results. Now, however, it seems he’s found his pace. Mikkelsen admitted that the starting position also played a role on Friday morning.
At the start of the season, many doubted whether Mikkelsen still had the speed to compete at the top level of the WRC. At least Friday’s stages in Poland showed that the man hasn’t completely lost his abilities.
“We tried to take full advantage of our starting position. We could always push more, but we aimed to keep a good balance. However, we did hit a hay bale, so we weren’t driving too slowly,” Mikkelsen laughed.
“I just tried to stay on the racing line the whole time. We’ll see how fast the guys are in the afternoon. I also need to watch videos and learn the spots where I can go even faster.”
Mikkelsen, who has won in Poland before, feels there is room for improvement despite holding the lead with a margin of over seven seconds ahead of Ford driver Martins Sesks.
“The car felt quite soft in the morning. We need to make it stiffer for the afternoon. The conditions will surely be quite rough in terms of ruts, so we also need to raise the car a bit. Let’s see what the weather brings. It’s a bit unpredictable,” Mikkelsen noted.
“I already got a message in the morning to take cover because a big storm might come. It was a pity that one stage was cancelled. Safety is the most important thing, though. In the afternoon, we just need to make sure we keep the car on the road until the end.”
Four special stages will be driven in Poland on Friday afternoon. The rally will conclude on Sunday.
