Mikko Hirvonen
Mikko Hirvonen ( born July 31, 1980 in Kannonkoski, Central Finland ) is a Finnish rally driver.
- 2.1 WRC victories
- 2.2 WRC results
- 2.3 IRC results
Career
After starting out in the national Rallycross scene Hirvonen of Finland was a Finnish Rally Champion in 2002. His debut in the WRC (World Rally Championship ), he was at the Rally Finland in 2002, when he finished 21st overall. Then he was taken in 2003 by Ford under contract and was there behind Markko Märtin and François Duval, the third driver. Then his way in 2004 led him to the Subaru World Rally Team, where he was team-mate from the then reigning World Rally Champion Petter Solberg. His best finish was fourth place in the Rally of Argentina and the Rally Australia. His performances were not enough to again get a contract for work, so he again ran as privateers in 2005.
From 2006: Six years as a Ford works driver
The main reason for its commitment at Ford for the year 2006 was a third place in the Rally of Catalonia in 2005, he was able to pull with a two- year-old Ford Focus WRC. The World Rally Championship in 2006, he played with a Ford Focus RS WRC 06 and celebrated at the Rally Australia its first victory at a WRC rally. As a co-pilot while Hirvonen familiar to his fellow countryman Jarmo Lehtinen. In 2007, he went, as team-mate Marcus Grönholm, on for the factory team of Ford and won three rallies. In total state, he finished with 99 points, third place in the drivers' standings. After Gronholm had withdrawn from the World Rally Championship, Hirvonen took his starting number and received as a teammate Jari -Matti Latvala. 2008 and 2009, he finished second overall in the World Cup. In 2010 he was sixth in the World Rally Championship. In the World Rally Championship 2011, he starts continue for the Ford factory team and now piloted the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC. He won the first race of the season, the Swedish Rally and the Rally Australia. Hirvonen finished the season in second World Cup overall.
2012-2014: Two years Citroën and then to M-Sport Rally Team
For the 2012 season the Citroën Total World Rally Team undertook the long-standing Ford factory driver, instead of Sébastien Ogier, as new No. 2 driver next to the then eight- time world champion Sebastien Loeb. When, discharged as World Cup opener, Rallye Monte Carlo Hirvonen took a lot to get used to his new car at the time. While he lost in the first three days of the event, leading to his teammates, almost four minutes, get him from the fourth day already Wertungsprüfungsbestzeiten three in a row. He finished the rally in fourth place overall and secured, with the second fastest time on the final standings, two bonus points of the Power Stage. With eleven podium finishes, including a victory in Sardinia, he finished the 2012 season successfully on the second World Cup place behind team-mate Loeb. The year 2013 went with 126 championship points and fourth place in the World Championship for Hirvonen ended. For the year 2014, Mikko Hirvonen left at M-Sport Rally undertake team and drives a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.