Andreas : 2011 starts here

The 21-year-old Norwegian crashed on the very first stage of Rallye Monte-Carlo, the IRC season-opener, back in January. He plans to hit back on the Canary Islands this week.

“Gran Canarias will be where our IRC campaign starts, so for us it’s important we leave the island with good points on the table,” said Mikkelsen. “That was our plan before we arrived and we’ll be sticking to it throughout the event. Results-wise, a finish in the points is what we’re aiming for.”

Mikkelsen will be a Rally Islas Canarias novice when the event gets underway with a ceremonial start on Thursday. However, he’s not daunted by the challenge.

"I’ve never rallied on Gran Canarias before, but I hear it’s like a typical Spanish asphalt rally – and I have experience on this type of abrasive asphalt,” he said.