27/08/2009
Ford setting big hopes on RallyRACC

Mikko Hirvonen's excellent victory at the last Rally Finland is considered by the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team base as a major boost for the Finnish driver to have options to clinch the drivers’ world title. The coming Rally Australia (September 3rd to 6th) will with no doubt be crucial, but even if Loeb should win, with Hirvonen second, the Ford driver would arrive in Spain as the leader... and if this should happen, PortAventura would be witnessing one of the most decisive RallyRACCs in history.

Malcolm Wilson said a couple of days ago that “Mikko and the team are staking a lot on the next two events. The world title is at stake and right now every step is crucial. Mikko's performance in Finland was close to perfection and it was a race in which he devoted himself so much to every special stage that it will be difficult to find a similar situation in his career”.

The 10th victory of Mikko Hirvonen in the WRC, a genuine childhood dream come true since it happened no less than in Finland, was the result of an impeccable performance. Loeb himself spoke about the excellent performance of his rival: “Mikko made no mistake and therefore there was nothing I could do to counteract. When I attacked, he responded; it was impossible to do better.”

But the World Rally Championship continues. Australia is imminent and then it will be the turn of the 45 RallyRACC Catalunya-COSTA DAURADA, Rally de España. Ford is preparing the Spanish round sparing no efforts to provide Mikko Hirvonen with the best incentive ahead of a competition which has seen Sébastien Loeb as its authentic owner: four victories in the past four years.

Malcolm Wilson declared that the Spanish race is now in the focus of the team's efforts: “Australia is a new event for all, and Mikko does usually well in new rallies, but the Spanish event is the one for which we have to work harder, since we have a lot to improve on asphalt. We are considering the chance to make more private tests in Catalunya in order to compare the times with those of previous editions, since it can be a vital race. If we manage to leave Spain with real chances for the title, the fight would move to the United Kingdom, and I obviously stake on our driver for that race".