Mikkelsen gets 'own' team

Andreas Mikkelsen will get a VW Motorsport team all to himself, it was announced today when the FIA announced the confirmed teams eligible to score points in the Manufacturer's World Rally Championship, and also confirmed No. 2 drivers.

Mikkelsen, who is only 23, won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge two years in a row in 2011 and 2012, whilst driving for Skoda. At the end of 2012, the series was mothballed and the Norwegian was signed up by the German car giant, VW, for their WRC campaign. Whilst under the wing of VW Motorsport, he took part in eight WRC events driving a Skoda Fabia S2000, and on the rallies he knew, he was keeping up to the pace of team leader, Sebastian Ogier.

Today, the FIA announced that VW would register the “VW Motorsport II” team, a one-car entry solely for Mikkelsen. He was always promised a third works Polo R WRC, and by driving in what is effectively his own team he can avail of a full compliment of testing days, rather than having to share with team leaders Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala. He will also have his own designated service place in each of the WRC's service parks, again rather than having to squeeze into the 'main' team's area.

Sven Smeets, team manager, said: “The third car was always planned to come, and we chose to have a one-car team in order to give Andreas his fair amount of test days and not to have to share them with our other drivers. Also we are a manufacturer, so in order to have the proper space in the service park the complete package for a one-car WRC team was much more interesting to us.”

The Norwegian will be able to score both Driver's Championship points as well as points for the VW Motorsport II team in the Manufacturer's Championship.