ŠKODA UK Motorsport driver Andreas Mikkelsen’s 2012 rally season has begun in fine style after he scored victory on the opening round of the Norwegian Rally Championship, the snowy Mountain Rally in Norway.

Andreas Mikkelsen has become the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers’ champion, after winning the title showdown decider, the Cyprus Rally, in his factory-prepared ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000. In his first full season in the IRC, and his first with ŠKODA UK, Andreas’ title is richly deserved as he’s led the last six rounds of the series, won the final two rallies and set fastest time on an unmatched 38 special stages.

•Hänninen in the overall lead after putting in a brilliant performance in Greece •The team's first victory this season •Gassner fourth after a smart ride

Leon (Mexico), 8 March – Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula (FIN) of Red Bull Škoda finished second at the opening S-WRC event in the surroundings of Leon, Mexico. The crew were gradually narrowing the lead of their rivals after a mistake they'd made at the beginning of the first stage on Friday, but failed to get higher than third place in the final rankings, despite a massive attack. However, Nasser Al-Attiyah failed to pass the final technical inspection after the race and was disqualified, and s

The Red Bull Škoda team will make its debut next weekend (5-6th March) at the Mexico Rally, the first round of the 2011 S-WRC series. Last years Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) champions, Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula, will be competing in a Škoda Fabia S2000.

With seven scores from 12 rounds counting towards the title, Andreas Mikkelsen’s challenge for the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) remains unaffected, despite retiring from the opening round of the series, Rallye Monte Carlo, today.

Andreas Mikkelsen, glamorously assisted by television presenter Zöe Salmon, unveiled the Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000 that he’ll drive in this year’s Intercontinental Rally Challenge at the Autosport International Show on Thursday 13 January – and then flew to the south of France for the Rallye Monte Carlo recce, the last step in preparation for the 100th anniversary running of this iconic event.

Shortly after winning this year's IRC, Škoda has made another big step forward by becoming part of Red Bull Škoda, a new team based on the brand's partnership with the top-class company Red Bull and its liaison with the private team BRR. Both of the new team's crews, the IRC champions Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula of Finland and Germany's young hope Hermann Gassner jr. & Katharina Wüstenhagen, are going to appear in the 2011 S-WRC.