Hirvonen jumps for joy in Finland
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Mikko Hirvonen fulfilled a childhood dream by winning Rally Finland in front of his home town fans in Jyväskylä today. Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen won the legendary rally by 25.1sec in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to extend their lead in the FIA World Rally Championship to three points with three rounds remaining. It was Hirvonen's third straight rally win and Ford's fourth consecutive victory of the 2009 season.
Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila joined their fellow Finns on the podium by claiming third in their Focus RS WRC. Latvala fought off a severe stomach upset yesterday to claim his maiden podium on his home rally. The results enabled Ford to close the gap on the leaders in the manufacturers' world title fight to 14 points, and ended a perfect week in which Ford announced it would extend its commitment to WRC for a further two years into 2010 and 2011.
Rally Finland, round nine in the 12-event championship, is the fastest rally in the series. Famous for its awesome roller-coaster jumps, Latvala topped the speed chart by winning the penultimate special stage at a remarkable average of 131.56kph. Few of the 23 gravel speed tests covering 345.15km fell below a 120kph average and even when heavy rain fell yesterday morning during the second leg, speeds remained high as the rock hard road surface softened to provide even better grip.
Hirvonen, who celebrated his 29th birthday during the first leg on Friday, added his name to the illustrious list of drivers who have mastered the sport's truest test of precision driving and bravery by leading for all but the first couple of kilometres. He steadily pulled away from closest rival Sébastien Loeb and when the Frenchman damaged a tyre yesterday afternoon, Hirvonen was able to measure his pace, reduce the risks and take an emotional victory in front of his family and friends.
"I've watched this rally since I was a kid and now I have won here myself and joined so many of the sport's legends who have won here. It's such a fantastic sensation to win my home rally that I can't put my feelings into words. It has been such a great weekend for the team that there will be big celebrations tonight. I felt in control throughout the rally. It was a great battle with Loeb and when he had a problem, I could afford to take it a little bit easier," said Hirvonen.
Final positions
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 50min 40.9sec
2. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 2hr 51min 06.0sec
3. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 51min 30.8sec
4. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 2hr 51min 47.0sec
5. M Rantanen/M Lukka FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 54min 59.1sec
6. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Citroen C4 2hr 54min 59.4sec
7. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg FIN Subaru Impreza 2hr 55min 48.4sec
8. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 2hr 57min 14.5sec
9. K Al Qassimi/M Orr UAE Ford Focus RS 3hr 03min 38.2sec
10 J Hänninen/M Markkula FIN Skoda Fabia 3hr 04min 54.6sec
Drivers
1. M Hirvonen 68pts
2. S Loeb 65pts
3. D Sordo 44pts
4. J-M Latvala 31pts
5. H Solberg 27pts
6. P Solberg 25pts
Manufacturers
1. Citroen Total 119pts
2. BP Ford Abu Dhabi 105pts
3. Stobart VK M-Sport Ford 64pts
4. Citroen Junior 33pts
5. Munchi's Ford 20pts
3rd August, 2009