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One of the brightest talents to have graced the FIA World Rally Championship in the last decade, Andreas Mikkelsen will make a richly-deserved return to full-season racing in 2018 after signing a multi-year deal with Hyundai.

Mikkelsen really emerged on the WRC’s radar from 2014 to 2016 when he finished third in the championship each year with Volkswagen, but was rarely given the chance to really flourish as Sebastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala gained the bulk of the team’s focus.

After a string of appearances for Citroen last year, Mikkelsen joined Hyundai for Rally Catalunya as a pre-cursor to a long-term deal, and finished fourth in Rally GB. Now he will have the chance to enjoy the backing of a major manufacturer for a full-season, and should be looking to take the fight to 2017 title contender Thierry Neuville from the word go.

Mikkelsen deserves a chance to shine. It’s now up to him to take it in 2018.