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Hirvonen remains the World Rally Championship leader

2. March, 2008

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen kept his lead in the Drivers' Championship by taking fourth place in the Rally of Mexico. Three tyre punctures saw Hirvonen drop out of the contest for the race victory.

“This was the weakest competition of the season, but after all that’s happened, I’m still happy with the fourth place. (Sebastien) Loeb is still one point behind me,” said Hirvonen.

The World Rally Championship introduced one-type tyres for this season, and unpuncturable tyres were banned. On the hard-bottomed gravel roads in Mexico, Hirvonen paid a high price for the rule change.

“Pirelli’s gravel tyre performed really well in the tests. I didn’t have to spare the tyre at all, but if the rim hits a rock straight-on, the tyre is lost, as was seen in this race," explained Hirvonen.

“The first tyre puncture in the first leg was just bad luck. In the second leg, I sped up and drove a couple curves too wide, hitting rocks, and there were many of them on the side of the road. The front tyre deflated right away, so we had to change it, which took a couple minutes. The right back tyre deflated gradually because the rim got hit.

On the first day of the rally, Hirvonen was the first to drive the route. Loose gravel slowed him down, but, according to Hirvonen, this does not fully explain the difference between himself and Jari-Matti Latvala and Loeb, who followed him. Loeb ultimately won the Rally of Mexico for the third time in a row and Latvala came third, following technical difficulties. Chris Atkinson of Subaru came second.

“The next stop is Argentina and I have to find more speed for that race. The roads there are quite similar to those in Mexico. Part of the route is really quick and some of it is slightly slower. There are quite many rocks on the road and on the roadside, which means I have to be extra careful not to damage the tyres,” said Hirvonen.

After three rallies, Hirvonen is leading the Championship by one point over Loeb and five points over Latvala.

The Rally of Argentina starts 27 March.