Andreas Mikkelsen will start the 57th edition of the Azores Rallye, which will be on the road between March 31st and April 1st. The Norwegian, who has always had the Azores Rallye as one of his personal favourites, will be at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, a model which he was also one of the responsible for the development. The driver will use a car of the Toksport WRT team, which supported him in his last visit to the archipelago.
Mikkelsen made his debut in the Azorean rally in 2010 with a Ford Fiesta S2000, with which he finished fourth. From then on, he only improved his results on the island of São Miguel. He was second in 2011 with a Skoda Fabia S2000 and conquered his first victory the following year with the same model. In his last passage through Ponta Delgada, in 2021, the year he won the European and WRC2 titles, he also won but with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Born in June 1989, the Norwegian driver was already driving a Ford Focus WRC at the age of 16. In 2006 he got his first absolute victories and in the following year he started to participate in international rallies. Since then he has won, besides the 2021 championships, the IRC titles in 2011 and 2012. He has worked for brands such as Ford and Skoda, but also for VW and Hyundai, the constructors he has represented in the WRC.