Power Stage pace offers pre-Japan boost for Mikkelsen

While the Norwegian admits that, after going off the road, his result of 31st overall in Passau was a disappointment, he pointed towards Sunday’s Wolf Power Stage speed as a highlight.

Mikkelsen’s second-fastest time on the final European test of the season demonstrated the step he’s made with the car since his troubled previous outing at April’s Croatia Rally.

Mikkelsen said: “Our speed overall when we were pushing has been close to the front, and the Power Stage was definitely the highlight. Result-wise, this is not what we expected. We had a crash on Friday, but otherwise there are a lot of positives to take from Central European Rally as well.”

Earlier in the year, on the roads around Zagreb, even though Mikkelsen finished sixth, he struggled to make an impact on the top-six stage times. Last time out at CER, he ran as high as third overall before just missing out on a Power Stage win.

He added: “It’s a big step forward since Croatia. Our feeling with the car was completely different [in CER]. I felt at one with the i20 on Tarmac and really enjoyed driving it.”