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Hirvonen is looking for success on asphalt

2 October 2007

There are five competitions left in the World Rally Championship. All of these tough races will take place before December, starting with the Catalonia Rally at the end of the week, and followed one week later by the Corsica Rally. Both rallies will be contested on asphalt.

Mikko Hirvonen is ready for the Catalonia Rally, which starts on 5 October. Last weekend he placed fifth in the Cork Rally in the Irish Championship. Sebastian Loeb won the rally. Like Hirvonen, Loeb entered the race to get a feel for the Rally of Ireland in the World Championship Rally later in the autumn. "There will be three asphalt rallies on consecutive weekends, so the driving feel is excellent. The Catalonia Rally is the race most familiar to me from among the asphalt rallies in the autumn. I believe I have a chance to win on these roads," Hirvonen says.

Hirvonen is competing for the fifth time in the Catalonia Rally. His best performance was a hard fought third place finish in 2005. The rally takes place in the Tarragona area near Barcelona, and as in recent years it's a fast route with roads like racing tracks. "The roads are fast and smooth. But gravel and mud are spilled onto the road by cars cutting corners - this creates problems. It makes the route slippery and you have to be careful, especially when driving the same special stage for the second time. Finding the right driving routes and braking spots is the key to success," Hirvonen says. Hirvonen comes into the autumn season aiming to secure third place in the World Rally Championship and first place for Ford in the manufacturers’ competition.

Ford currently leads the manufacturers' series with a 46 point lead over Citroen. Marcus Grönholm, who is close to retirement, leads the drivers' series, with a ten point lead over Loeb. Loeb leads Hirvonen by 11 points. "Although theoretically I have chance to win the championship, my main goal now is to make sure my team wins the manufacturers' series, while at the same time helping Grönholm to win the championship by eliminating as many rivals as possible," Hirvonen says.

The service base of the Catalonia Rally is in the town of Salou. There are 18 special stages with a total distance of 352 kilometres. Friday's leg is the longest, with six special stages (148.05 kilometres of special stages). Saturday's leg has eight special stages (119.16 km) and Sunday's leg has four special stages (85.66 km).