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Hirvonen is ready to go for the Rally Championship

2 December 2007

Mikko Hirvonen has a totally new perspective for the 2008 season.
He will be Ford’s number one driver in the FIA World Rally Championship, and compete for the drivers’ championship in the series that kicks off in January with the Monte Carlo Rally.

“In many ways, the situation will be better than before. I no longer have to concentrate on anything but winning. And when you are pitted against Sebastien Loeb, you have to race every rally at full throttle from start to finish – and a bit of good luck won’t go amiss,” says Hirvonen.

“Winning the Championship will require a few wins over the season and finishing among the top three in other rallies.”

Last season, Hirvonen finished third in the final standings. The season was crowned by the fourth win of his career and the third win of the season in Wales. Hirvonen took the win with outstanding driving despite difficult conditions.

“You had to stay alert every moment and, no matter how careful I was, I almost blew the whole rally on the last special stage. We slid off the road but luckily managed to recover without incident,” explains Hirvonen.

After taking the win in the Rally of Wales, Hirvonen will be testing.

“We’ll use the time to test tyres for next season. Next year, every team will use Pirelli tyres. We need to get a proper reading on the tyres and make any necessary adjustments to the car to achieve maximum grip,” Hirvonen continues.

“As a whole, this season has been very good. Of course, I was hoping that Marcus Grönholm would have ended his career with a world championship, but that was not to be. I made great progress throughout the season, and next season I’m hoping to take one more step toward the top. This final step will mean winning the championship.”

The World Rally Championship season ended with Sebastien Loeb clinching the drivers’ championship after finishing third in the Rally of Wales. Hirvonen and Grönholm had already secured the manufacturers’ championship for Ford at the Rally of Ireland.