Mikko Hirvonen
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| Nation: |
 Finland
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| World Rally Championship (WRC) | |||||||||
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| First rally: | Rally Finland 2002 | ||||||||
| Last rally: | Rally Great Britain 2014 | ||||||||
| Co-driver: |
Jarmo Lehtinen
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| Team: | Ford World Rally Team M-Sport World Rally Team Citroën Total WRT 555 Subaru WRT |
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| Vehicle: |
Ford Fiesta RS WRC Ford Focus RS WRC Subaru Impreza S6 WRC Škoda Fabia WRC Renault Clio S1600 |
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| Points: | 1210 | ||||||||
| Status: According to Rally 13 of 13, 2014 season | |||||||||
| Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) | |||||||||
| First rally: | Rally Monte Carlo 2010 | ||||||||
| Co-driver: |
Jarmo Lehtinen
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| Team: | M-Sport | ||||||||
| Vehicle: | Ford Fiesta S2000 | ||||||||
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| Points: | 10 | ||||||||
Mikko Hirvonen (born July 31, 1980 in Kannonkoski , Central Finland ) is a Finnish rally driver .
Career
After starting out on the national rallycross scene in Finland, Hirvonen became Finnish Rally Champion in 2002. He made his debut in the WRC (World Rally Championship) at the 2002 Rally Finland , where he finished 21st overall. He was then signed to Ford in 2003 and was the third driver behind Markko Märtin and François Duval . Then in 2004 his path led him to the Subaru World Rally Team , where he became a team-mate of the then reigning World Rally Champion Petter Solberg . His best finish was fourth in the Argentina and Australia rallies . His performance was not enough to get another works contract, which is why he started as a private driver again in 2005.
From 2006: Six years as a Ford works driver
The decisive factor behind his commitment to Ford in 2006 was a third place in the 2005 Catalonia Rally , which he was able to achieve with a two-year-old Ford Focus WRC. He contested the 2006 World Rally Championship with a Ford Focus RS WRC 06 and celebrated his first victory in a WRC rally at the Rally Australia. As co-pilot, Hirvonen trusted his compatriot Jarmo Lehtinen . In 2007 he continued to drive for the Ford works team as a team-mate of Marcus Grönholm and won three rallies. Overall, he took third place in the drivers' standings with 99 points. After Grönholm withdrew from the World Rally Championship, Hirvonen took over his starting number and received Jari-Matti Latvala as a teammate . In 2008 and 2009 he finished second overall in the world championship. In 2010 he finished sixth in the World Rally Championship. In the 2011 World Rally Championship , he continues to compete for the Ford works team and is now driving the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC . He won the first round of the season, the Rally Sweden , and the Rally Australia . Hirvonen finished the season in second place overall.
2012–2013: Two years at Citroën and then to M-Sport Rally Team
For the 2012 season , the Citroën Total World Rally Team signed the long-time Ford works driver, in place of Sébastien Ogier , as the new number 2 driver alongside the then eight-time world champion Sébastien Loeb . At the Rallye Monte Carlo , which was held at the start of the World Championship , Hirvonen needed some time to get used to his new vehicle. While he lost almost four minutes on his leading team-mate on the first three days of the event, he achieved three special stage best times in a row from the fourth day on . He finished the rally in fourth place overall and secured two bonus points on the power stage with the second fastest time in the last standings . With eleven podium places, including one win in Sardinia, he successfully finished the 2012 season in second place in the world championship behind team-mate Loeb. The year 2013 ended with 126 World Championship points and fourth place in the World Championship for Hirvonen.
2014: With the M-Sport Rally Team to retire
For 2014 , Mikko Hirvonen signed up for the M-Sport Rally Team and drove a Ford Fiesta RS WRC . Mikko Hirvonen ended his WRC career at the end of the season with a second place in the final rally of the year in Great Britain . In the world championship he finished fourth with 126 world championship points.
statistics
WRC victories
| No. | season | rally | Co-driver | vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006 |
 Rally Australia
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Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 2 | 2007 |
 Rally Norway
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Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 3 |
 Rally Japan
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Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 4th |
 Rally Great Britain
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Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 5 | 2008 |
 Rally Jordan
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Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 6th |
 Rally Turkey
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 7th |
Rally Japan
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 8th | 2009 |
 Rally Greece
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Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 9 |
 Rally Poland
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 10 |
Rally Finland
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 11 |
Rally Australia
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC | |
| 12 | 2010 |
 Rally Sweden
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC |
| 13 | 2011 |
Rally Sweden
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Fiesta RS WRC |
| 14th |
Rally Australia
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | |
| 15th | 2012 |
 Rally Sardinia
|
Jarmo Lehtinen | Citroën DS3 WRC |
Individual results WRC
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| Legend | ||
|---|---|---|
| colour | abbreviation | meaning |
| gold | - | victory |
| silver | - | 2nd place |
| bronze | - | 3rd place |
| green | - | Placement in the points |
| blue | - | Classified outside the point ranks |
| violet | DNF | Race not finished (did not finish) |
| NC | not classified | |
| red | DNQ | did not qualify |
| DNPQ | failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify) | |
| black | DSQ | disqualified |
| White | DNS | not at the start (did not start) |
| WD | withdrawn | |
| Light Blue | PO | only participated in the training (practiced only) |
| TD | Friday test driver | |
| without | DNP | did not participate in the training (did not practice) |
| INJ | injured or sick | |
| EX | excluded | |
| DNA | did not arrive | |
| C. | Race canceled | |
| no participation in the World Cup | ||
| other | P / bold | Pole position |
| SR / italic | Fastest race lap | |
| * | not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered |
|
| () | Streak results | |
| underlined | Leader in the overall standings | |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Markus Lüttgens: Hirvonen and the resignation: "It was about time". In: Motorsport-total.com. November 7, 2014, accessed October 13, 2019 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hirvonen, Mikko |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish rally driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 31, 1980 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kannonkoski , Central Finland |