26 year-old Anders Jaeger will join Andreas Mikkelsen as his new co-driver after Ola Fløene resigned from his job earlier this week. “He is very talented, so I’m pleased with this solution” says Andreas.
December 08, 2015
26 year-old Anders Jaeger will join Andreas Mikkelsen as his new co-driver after Ola Fløene resigned from his job earlier this week. “He is very talented, so I’m pleased with this solution” says Andreas.
“The co-driver change was planned to take place after the 2016 season and the idea was for Anders to replace Ola for 2017. However, now that Ola have chosen different, we had to change those plans. Anders has already been my co-driver on a couple of tests and he is very good in the car. He is a talented guy and I’m confident that this is the best solution. I’m very much looking forward to get properly started with Anders” says Andreas.
Anders Jaeger has just finished a successful season in the JWRC together with Ole-Christian Veiby. They ended the season with a victory at Wales Rally GB and they claimed second in the championship. With the experience he brings with him from the last two years in rallying, mixed with hard work and determination, Anders is prepared for the challenges ahead.
“It was planned for a long time for me to step in as Andreas’ co-driver, and I’ve worked hard towards this” says Anders. “Now I’m really looking forward to start this journey with him, even though it’s a year earlier than planned. I feel both proud and humble to get the opportunity to work with such a professional team as Volkswagen Motorsport. I’m sure that Andreas and I will have a great development together and make each other better. Andreas is extremely competitive, he is hungry for more and has his eyes on the future. The same goes for me. I’ve already been alongside Andreas at a few tests, so I know the speed is different from my previous experience in the WRC, but with the strength and support from Andreas and the team, we have the best foundation to make this work. Now it’s time for us to start preparing and work harder than any other in the championship.”
With 50 WRC events together, Andreas have many good memories with Ola in the co-driver’s seat.
“After many great years with Ola in my car, I was looking forward to another successful year with him next to me. There are so many good memories with Ola, together we have come a long way and I have learned a lot with him alongside me. There is no doubt I will miss him! Ola will always have that special place in my heart, and I’m so grateful now that we managed to get that first win in Spain. At the same time I fully understand his move, and I wish him all the best and great results in the future.”
Erik Veiby, Managing Director at EVEN Management, explains that it came as a surprise that Ola decided to leave the company.
“Our agreement with Ola was always that he should co-drive Andreas until the end of the 2016 season, and then Anders was to take over. We all agreed, Ola included. So of course we were surprised that Ola decided to change his seat. However, at EVEN we constantly work hard to develop and educate our full time employed co-drivers to keep them up to the high standards of the WRC, and I believe Anders is ready for the task. He is determined, accurate and highly skilled, all qualities needed to be a great co-driver.”