Mikkelsen Races Hard to Claim Big 2nd Place Finish at Rally de Portugal

It was a big weekend in WRC as the famous Vodafone Rally de Portugal drew hundreds of thousands of fans and Volkswagen Motorsports extended its championship lead substantially, claiming two steps on the podium.

Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Anders Jaeger were the top VW performers in Portugal, finishing in second, behind Kris Meeke.

It was a big finish for the young Norwegian, who started the rally poorly. Thanks to a mid-rally discussion with his engineer, Mikkelsen climbed from fourth to second in just a little over a day.

“The Rally Portugal got better with every day,” says Mikkelsen. “We definitely found the perfect set-up for the difficult conditions here in Portugal on Saturday and Sunday.”

In earning second, Mikkeslen passed his championship leading teammate, Sebastien Ogier. The Frenchman was in second for most of the rally, and a puncture caused him to drive cautiously on the rally’s final day. Despite that, he finished the weekend in third place, and his lead in the championship is strong.

VW’s third driver, Jari-Matti Latvala, meanwhile, finished the rally in sixth, having lost 45.6 seconds on Friday after hitting a hole in the road.

Following the season’s fifth rally, Sebastien Ogier leads the driver’s rankings with 114 points. Andreas Mikkelsen’s strong result vaults him into second place with 67 points, and he leads Mads Ostberg (who drives a Ford), who is in third with 58 points. Latvala, despite not having scored points in three of five rallies, is in sixth place with 37 points.

Thanks to the three strong finishes, Volkswagen Motorsport now has a commanding lead in the manufacturer’s championship, with 145 points. They lead Hyundai Motorsport, who have 96 points.

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