On Friday, Mikkelsen made a driving error and crashed heavily into a garden fence. The car was damaged, and Mikkelsen was forced to retire from the race.
Mikkelsen rejoined the rally and set the second-fastest time on the Power Stage, contributing to his team’s battle for the manufacturers’ championship.
“Results-wise certainly not what we expected. We had a crash on Friday, but there are many positives to take away as well. I think our speed on the Power Stage was the highlight,” Mikkelsen said to RallyJournal.com.
“And overall speed this weekend, when we were pushing, was very close to the front,” Mikkelsen pointed out.
Mikkelsen has competed this season in Monte Carlo, Croatia, Poland, and now Central Europe. He feels he has made progress throughout the season.
“Considering we weren’t pushing for anything special, just driving through the stages, it shows that we’ve made a big, significant step forward since Croatia. The feeling with the car was completely different this weekend. I felt at one with the car, and I really enjoyed driving it, which I’ve never done before on tarmac with the Hyundai,” Mikkelsen said.
This season, Mikkelsen has been in a somewhat difficult situation as a part-time driver. His breaks between races have been quite long.
“Yes, there are big gaps between my driving. So it’s not easy to compete. The pace is really high, so being perfect everywhere without making mistakes is difficult when you’re not in the car often,” Mikkelsen admitted.
Hyundai has not yet announced all of its drivers for next season, and Mikkelsen is also unable to shed any light on his own situation.
“No, I have no idea about next year. None at all,” Mikkelsen claimed.
