31-year-old Norwegian FIA World Rally Championship driver Andreas Mikkelsen has been selected to take part in the tyre tests for the Italian firm Pirelli, who will be the official tyre supplier for all the classes in the championship in 2021.
Mikkelsen will start testing in Sardinia in Italy next month in a former Citroën Racing works Citroën C3 WRC car; Pirelli have also released the livery which Mikkelsen will be running with.
Pirelli return to the championship next year as the official supplier with a contract through to 2024, next month’s tests will be a remarkable milestone in the development with the delay due to the ongoing pandemic.
Mikkelsen will be co-driven by the Anders Jeager on the tests that will consits of both gravel and tarmac on the Mediterranean Islands.
“To see how far we’ve come with our development, which has continued unabated with laboratory testing throughout the lockdown period, we’ve selected the best combination of car and driver,” Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli’s rally activity manager, said.
“The C3 WRC, which isn’t currently used on the world championship, is extremely representative in terms of performance and allows us to develop the 2021 tyres in a way that is fair to everyone. This is a priority for any sole tyre supplier.
“Andreas is an experienced driver who is well-known for his professionalism and feeling with tyres. These have to demonstrate both performance and reliability in one complete package, which is always the biggest challenge in rallying,”
