Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen of Finland won the Acropolis Rally on Sunday by avoiding the mishaps that hit his rivals. USA Today
Mikko Hirvonen made significant inroads into Sebastien Loeb’s World Rally Championship lead as he completed a comfortable victory on the Acropolis Rally.
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The BP Ford team leader eased home 72 seconds clear of surprise second-placed finisher Sebastien Ogier, while Hirvonen’s team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala was third.
The Citroen C4 of reigning champion Loeb failed to finish a race for the first time this season after the Frenchman suffered a massive shunt on Friday to end his charge.
The consistent Hirvonen is seven points behind Loeb after his first win of the season, his five podium finishes in six rallies prior to the weekend keeping him in touch with his arch-rival.
“It really looked very difficult but it’s turned out to be okay,” said Hirvonen. The Press Association
Ford World Rally Team colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were third in another Focus RS WRC to secure maximum points in the manufacturers’ series for the Blue Oval.
Between them Hirvonen and Latvala led from start to finish of the three-day event to secure Ford’s seventh win in 10 seasons in Greece. It was also the 40th world rally win for M-Sport, Ford’s partner in the WRC and the British-based preparation company which runs the programme. It completed a perfect weekend for Team Director Malcolm Wilson, who received an OBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours list on Saturday.
Latvala led from the start before falling to 11th when he slid into a ditch on the last special stage of the opening day. Hirvonen was promoted into the top spot but was fearful of running first in the start order yesterday, sweeping the gravel from the road surface to offer cleaner and faster conditions to his pursuers. However, as others struggled, Hirvonen stretched his lead and Latvala charged back to third. Both drove at a measured pace on Sunday’s short final leg to seal a memorable weekend.
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“I drove a clever rally and my plan worked perfectly, with no mistakes and no punctures,” said 28-year-old Hirvonen.
“I knew that if we finished the rally without problems then we would be high in the order and that was the case. The key to success was to stay on the road and be cautious rather than drive flat out all the way. The car was amazing all weekend, especially the last stage which was so rough. I was fortunate to have such a large lead that I was able to drive steadily.”
“We’re back in the championship fight and the final five rallies of the year will be exciting. The next two events, in Poland and Finland, are on fast gravel roads which should suit me,” he added. Yahoo! Eurosports
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