IRC – Mikkelsen takes nothing for granted

The Norwegian dominated the debates throughout this rally in Sibiu, where he won his 10th IRC victory. However, Mikkelsen reveals that it wasn't as easy as the result might suggest. “ If you look at the gap, it is certainly huge but I can tell you that it was difficult, explains Mikkelsen. The stages were really complicated, and we just tried to drive without taking any risks. We knew how to do it and that's partly why we won this rally. It's true that I didn't have any dust, which made things easier compared to the other drivers. It's a fantastic result for us. We had a good strategy before the rally after seeing the stages during reconnaissance, and it paid off. The other drivers attacked from the start and had problems. »

The Skoda driver now has a 49-point lead in the championship with five rounds remaining, but he knows full well that everything can change quickly. “ Looking at the last IRC championships, everything can change during the last two meetings so I don't feel safe at all, adds Mikkelsen. We now go to Barum with a little less pressure on our shoulders and maybe we can fight with a little less thought about the title. It will be nice to be able to attack a little more. We have a good margin in the championship, but we have to stay focused. »