Andreas have not given up the fight for second in the championship. He travels to Australia to get the best result in the final rally for Volkswagen Motorsport.

Rally Australia will be a very emotional event for the Norwegian. A few weeks ago his team Volkswagen Motorsport announced that they are stopping their WRC programme, and Rally Australia will be the last and final outing for the German team.

– It’s going to be very special. I’ve had some great years in Volkswagen, and we have experienced a lot together. It would be amazing to finish up the adventure with a great result. I’m sure there will be a lot of emotions when the event is over, says Andreas, who is chasing for second in the Driver’s Standings. His friend Thierry Neuville is currently second, 14 points ahead of Andreas, who is third, but he has not given up the fight.

– I really do enjoy Rally Australia, and I’m not going to let Thierry walk away with second without a fight. As long as it possible, I will push maximum. Both Anders and I are ready to take on the challenging Australian stages.

– Many of the stages runs through rainforest with extremely tall trees. The trees make the dust hanging and with the sun coming through the trees it can be very difficult to see the roads. It’s also summer there now, so it will probably be very warm in the car. We also have to take into consideration snakes and spiders. I do not want to get out of the car while on a stage!

The gravel stages of Rally Australia switches from narrow and winding to wide and flowing. With extremely light sand and loose gravel, cleaning the stage will be a disadvantage for early starters, and an advantage for later runners. So far this year, only one crew have managed to win a rally on loose gravel from startingposition 1-3; Mikkelsen and Jaeger!

– I know it’s going to be a difficult event, Andreas says. – But I’m so motivated to say goodbye to Volkswagen Motorsport in the best way possible. And to have a shot at the runner up spot in the championship, it’s all or nothing!

All the best,

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