Former Volkswagen factory driver Andreas Mikkelsen is still hoping to enter a 2017-spec Volkswagen Polo in this year's World Rally Championship.
Norwegian Mikkelsen was left without a fulltime drive for 2017 when Volkswagen stunningly announced their withdrawal from the WRC late last year. Former Volkswagen teammates Sebastien Ogier (M-Sport Ford) and Jari-Matti Latvala (Toyota) were able to scramble a contract together but Mikkelsen competed in a Skoda Fabia in the WRC2 feeder series at the season-opening event in Monte Carlo last week.
But Mikkelsen is still aiming to put together a deal to compete in a 2017-spec Volkswagen albeit as a privateer.
"The aim is to be back in a factory car and fighting for the world championship next season," he told Autosport. "But this year, we're looking at three rallies in the Polo '17 car.
"We had hoped to compete in the car in Sweden, but there was no way to get it homologated in time, so we're now working on Portugal.
