Fast Fact

Career Highlight

Career Summary

赫沃宁| Mikko Hirvonen

Fast Fact

Nationality:Finnish

Date of Birth:31 Jul 80

Car:Ford Focus RS WRC

Team:BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team

Co-driver:Jarmo Lehtinen

WRC Debut:Finland 2002

WRC Rally Wins:11

Career Highlight

2009: Four rally wins, 11 podiums, second in WRC Drivers’ Championship

2008: Three rally wins. Second in WRC Drivers’ Championship

2007: Three rally wins. Third in WRC Drivers’ Championship

2006: First WRC win in Australia. Third in WRC Drivers’ Championship

2005: Led Acropolis Rally overall in a private Ford

2004: A single season with Subaru, replacing Tommi Makinen as number two driver

2003: Contests first full WRC season with Ford as official number three driver

2002: Wins Finnish F2 title

Career Summary

Hirvonen only started rallying in 1998, but quickly showed his talent at the wheel of two-wheel drive cars, winning the Finnish Formula 2 title in 2002. That year he also contended the Subaru Cup Challenge in Italy, leading the series before going off the road in the final stage of the final round and losing the championship. He nonetheless earned a works deal with Ford for 2003 as a result of his other efforts.

Although he rolled on his debut in Monte Carlo, he had a solid - if unspectacular - rest of the season, which prompted a move to Subaru for 2004. Once again, Hirvonen performed solidly, but had to return to privateer rallying in 2005. Although relegated to a 2003-spec car, Mikko impressed and led the Acropolis Rally overall - a performance that got him back into a Ford works car again without delay. His third place in Spain guaranteed him the team's second seat in 2006.

Hirvonen played a crucial support role to Marcus Gronholm in 2006 and together the pair secured Ford the manufacturers’ title - with Mikko taking his first WRC victory, in Australia, along the way. He did another excellent job in 2007, taking wins in Norway, Japan and Great Britain, a total of ten podiums and helping bring the BP Ford team its second successive world championship title. Hirvonen rounded off 2007 third in the drivers’ title and was named as Ford team leader in 2008 following Marcus Gronholm’s retirement.

At 27, Mikko started 2008 as the youngest and least experienced team leader of a full manufacturers’ team, but he rose to the challenge and had his most successful season to date. Spurred-on by the pace of Ford’s number two driver, Jari-Matti Latvala, and supported by him and fellow team-mate Francois Duval, Hirvonen took three victories and remained in the championship fight with Sebastien Loeb until the penultimate round.

The 2009 season, however, proved to be his most successful and exciting so far. Third on the season opener in Ireland after a power steering problem, Hirvonen was Loeb's closest challenger on the three rallies which followed. But after an engine-related retirement on the fifth round in Argentina, Loeb had opened up a 20 point lead, and Hirvonen's title bid looked all but over. What followed was one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune ever seen in the WRC.

A Ford one-two in Italy, headed by Latvala, was the start of a run of four outright wins for Hirvonen, who overtook Loeb to lead the series with two rallies remaining. The fight culminated in a remarkable, winner-takes-all battle on the season finale in Wales. Sadly for Hirvonen, the fight went Loeb's way. But in the second half of the season Hirvonen's determination and confidence reached new highs.

The fight will resume in 2010, with Hirvonen anxious to find the magic Loeb-beating formula right from the start.