Rally Portugal got a dramatic finish for Andreas Mikkelsen. The Norwegian was on his way towards a stunning victory in the WRC2 category when he rolled on the final stage of the event.

What looked like it was going to be a fantastic weekend turned out to be quite the opposite when Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger rolled their Skoda Fabia R5 in the beginning of the popular Fafe stage, which was the last stage of the rally.

“The Fafe stage will be the power stage for many years to come and I thought we would push hard to get practice for when we are back in a WRC car next year. After one and a half kilometer, I cut too much in a right hand corner. We hit a rock and the car flipped around. It was all my fault. Terribly annoying. Although we had decided to give everything on this stage, we did not go fast where we rolled. I was in second or third gear” said the disappointed 27-year-old.

The roll itself was of the non-dramatic kind. The car was lying on the side and Andreas and Anders had to get out and try to tip it back onto four wheels again – something that cost them about 45 seconds. With a lead of over three minutes, nothing indicated that their victory was in danger.

“We continued driving, but soon we realized that the radiator hose was broken and we had to stop at the side of the road and retire from the rally” explained Andreas, who lost his chance to secure his third win in three events for Skoda Motorsport this season.

Although the outcome of Rally Portugal was a low point, Andreas has performed brilliantly all weekend – and the leading position in the WRC2 class has never really been threatened.

“I’m happy with my driving. We did our job on Friday and gave ourselves a minute’s lead and have basically been controlling it since then” he said.

Sebastien Ogier won the overall event after taking his second win this season. Pontus Tidemand, Andreas’ Even Management team-mate, secured the WRC2 victory and expressed compassion for the Norwegian after reaching the finish line.

“I feel sorry for Andreas. To stop at the final stage after showing pace like he has, that’s a real shame” said Pontus.

All the best,

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