Mikko Hirvonen will face tough challenges next season. Hirvonen will take part in six WRC races driving a Ford WRC car. The objective is to convince team managers of the young Finn’s competitiveness. ”The one and only goal in every WRC race is to do as well as possible,” Hirvonen says.

Hirvonen’s rally calendar consists of the Rally of Sardinia in Italy, the Acropolis Rally in Greece, the Neste Rally of Finland in Jyväskylä, the Welsh Rally and the Rally of Catalonia in Spain. ”The most important goal for me is to do well in all races, not only in the Neste Rally. It is taken for granted that a Finnish driver should take a good position in his home rally,” Hirvonen says.

Hirvonen has taken part in the WRC series for two years. Last season he gained valuable experience in the Subaru World Rally Team as a team mate of the World Champion Petter Solberg. “I learned a lot and gained experience in the operation of the team and all the races. I also learned that regular testing is essential in order to match the pace of the top drivers in the WRC series,” says Hirvonen.
Rally of Portugal fascinates Hirvonen

This season Hirvonen has gained experience in three international races. The Rally of Sweden in the WRC series did not go well due to the wrong wheel rims. Instead, the Italian Championship competition near Venice and the Rally of Portugal, which is hoping for a return to the WRC series, provided good results and valuable experience. “In Sweden we lost 12 rims during the race. We simply made the completely wrong choices,” says Hirvonen.
In the Rally of Portugal Hirvonen took second place driving a Group N Subaru after clocking two fastest stage times. In the Italian Championship race Hirvonen won the Group N competition. “The gravel roads in Portugal were amazing. The stages were big, wide and very fast in places. We could get everything out of the car. It was great to see how fast a Group N car can go,” says Hirvonen, adding, ”I had no chance against the winner, Daniel Carlsson. At the beginning of the race I drove two stages without turbo, but that did not cost me the victory.”

Hirvonen believe the Rally of Portugal has a great chance of returning to the WRC series.
”The race really has something to offer to the WRC Rally series. The roads are completely different from the other European competitions, there are not that many rocks as in most European races and the organisation works well,” says a convinced Hirvonen.

Working for Mäkinen

In addition to racing, Jyväskylä-based Hirvonen has worked for the four-time World Champion Tommi Mäkinen. Mäkinen’s company specialises in importing and developing Group N Subaru cars, as well as various customer events where Hirvonen is usually the driver.

”The events keep up my driving between races. I also spend a lot of time taking care of my fitness. Because there are long breaks between races, one has to be in shape in order to push hard right from the very first special stage,” Hirvonen says.