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Hirvonen fast and unlucky in the Rally of Sweden

The Rally of Sweden was going fast for Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen until an engine problem took away all hope of a top three finish. On the opening day, Hirvonen was securely in third place until his Ford’s engine temperature rose too high in the penultimate special stage and he was forced to stop the car.

”Only two kilometres remained of the long stage when the temperature gauge went into the red. The crew gave us directions to stop so that we could avoid worsening the damage to the engine. I have to admit that I was really annoyed. We were able to match the pace of the leaders as we had planned and then something like this happens,” says a disappointed Hirvonen.

The team discovered that the belt running the engine’s water pump and generator had cracked and became stuck around the shaft running the water pump.

Hirvonen continued the rally on Saturday with a 10-minute penalty because he was unable to drive two stages on Friday. Hirvonen had lost all hope of a podium finish but still the 25-year-old driver from Jyväskylä continued to match the pace of the leading drivers. The engine power had also been reduced in order to secure Mikko’s finish. In spite of all this, Hirvonen and Lehtinen improved their position and at the end of the day the difference to another problem-victim, Subaru-driver Petter Solberg, was only 12 seconds. The second Subaru-driver, Chris Atkinson, was only ahead by 40 seconds. These provided suitable challenges for Sunday.

Hirvonen continued his fast pace on the final day and was able to take 11th position. The battle with Solberg ended when the Norwegian’s starting system failed.
”Despite all the problems, the race felt good. We were close to Grönholm and Loeb, which gives us confidence for the future,” says Hirvonen, satisfied with his fast pace.
”I also managed to get points for the team, which was important. We have been in high spirits because Grönholm has won both races so far,” says Hirvonen, pleased with the performances of his team mate.

The next WRC Rally will take place in Mexico on 3-5 March.