Rally Australia ended in disappointment after a double puncture on Saturday for Andreas Mikkelsen, who is now looking ahead to 2018. – We have showed that we have the pace to fight for victory, and that’s a good feeling to end the season with.
November 19, 2017
Andreas Mikkelsen was on course to take home the victory at Rally Australia, when a double puncture forced him to retire after finishing stage 10 on the Saturday. With only one spare tyre in the car, there were no other option than to retire from the day. Andreas and Anders took the lead of the rally already after the first stage on Friday morning, they were fastest on 6 of 8 stages on the first day and kept the lead until they retired. They rejoined again on the Sunday, but with the time-penalty after the retirement, they had no chance for a podium finish.
“Even though it ended like it did, I have to say that Rally Australia gave us a lot of positive to continue building on. We did have a good lead and good control, and I don’t think we made a big mistake when we hit that bank on Saturday. These things happen quite often, we were just unlucky with the double puncture afterwards. Disappointing of course, but these things happen. I’m very pleased for Thierry that he managed to secure the victory and happy for the team and their second in the manufacturer championship. I’ve only competed 3 events for Hyundai Motorsport, but I already feel at home in the car. It’s been a great experience ahead of the 2018 season, and I know I’m in the right place for a good season. The car is absolutely fantastic, the team is great and everything is in place for us to fight for the championship.”