Aged eighteen and with his driver’s licence in his pocket, Mikko Hirvonen jumped behind the wheel of a rally car. In just a few years he gained considerable experience by driving a wide range of different vehicles in an increasingly international programme.

In 2002, he won the Finnish Group A 2-wheel drive category and became a Ford and then a Subaru works driver. In 2005, he raced as a privateer again and really made people sit up and take notice. His performances convinced Ford and Skoda to take him on, and he scored his first world championship podium finish in Spain (Ford Focus).

In 2006, he rejoined the Ford works outfit. His first team-mate was Marcus Grönholm; he finished third in the world championship on two occasions and clinched his first victory in Australia in 2006.

In 2008, Hirvonen became Sébastien Loeb’s main rival in the WRC title chase with three runner-up positions: in 2009 and 2011 the Finn lost the world title in the very last round.

 

WRC STATISTICS

YearChampionshipCarStartsWinsPod.Pos.
2011Drivers WRCFord Fiesta RS WRC13282
2010Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC13126
2009Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC124112
2008Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC153112
2007Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC162103
2006Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC16183
2005Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC5110
2005Drivers WRCSkoda Fabia WRC1
2004Drivers WRCSubaru Impreza WRC167
2003Drivers WRCFord Focus RS WRC1416
2002Drivers WRCRenault Clio S16002
2002Drivers WRCSubaru Impreza Gr. A1