Mikkelsen was signed for this season to Hyundai’s WRC team, where he shares responsibilities in the team’s third car with Esapekka Lappi and Dani Sordo. The Norwegian is primarily focused on the WRC’s asphalt events.
Mikkelsen began his season in January at the Rally Monte Carlo, where he finished sixth. His pace wasn’t at its best yet, as he finished five and a half minutes behind his winning teammate Thierry Neuville.
Monte was, however, Mikkelsen’s first competition in a Rally1 hybrid car. Next week, Mikkelsen will seek more experience with Hyundai’s Rally1 car in the Rally Regione Piemonte, part of the Italian Rally Championship.
“It’s a great opportunity to get more time in the car before Croatia. I won’t do a pre-event test for the event, so I will start Alba with the set-up from Thierry (Neuville) and Ott (Tänak),” Mikkelsen said according to DirtFish.
“The team has a lot of experience and a lot of data from asphalt rallies, so I’m confident we’ll find a good feeling,” the Norwegian added.
The Rally Regione Piemonte, held in the surroundings of the city of Alba, is scheduled for next week, April 12-13. The Croatia Rally is on the calendar for the following week.
Formerly known as the Rally di Alba, this event is quite familiar to Hyundai. The team had its factory drivers compete there in 2020 and 2021.
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