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The 2011 IRC season review

The fifth Intercontinental Rally Challenge was the best yet, and it was Skoda UK driver Andreas Mikkelsen who emerged as champion from a tense five-way shootout at the season finale. Matt Beer reviews the season

Andreas Mikkelsen didn't look like a man destined to be the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion when he smacked his Skoda into a barrier within yards of the start of the Monte Carlo Rally in January. But just as his title-winning predecessors Kris Meeke and Juho Hanninen had done before him, Mikkelsen used a full campaign in rallying's burgeoning second-tier category to out-grow his predilection for calamity without losing his blistering speed, and proved he is ready for a big future at world championship level.

In 2011 the IRC boasted greater season-long strength in depth than the still-young series had mustered before and produced its closest action yet. Four rallies included victory margins of under two seconds, and five drivers went into the season finale with a title shot (six on paper, had Bryan Bouffier been present). And while the scoring system put greater emphasis on the concluding rounds in Scotland and Cyprus, even without the bonus points the fight would have been subject to a five-way battle.

Previous article Thierry Neuville clinches Golden Stage Rally win
Next article Circuit of Ireland and three other new events on 2012 IRC calendar

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