Hirvonen reignites title battle
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 15, 2009 00:00
LOUTRAKI - Finland's Mikko Hirvonen, driving a Ford Focus, won the Acropolis Rally yesterday to reignite the battle for this year's drivers' championship with leader Sebastien Loeb.
Hirvonen produced a near faultless drive through the toughest conditions of the season to clinch victory in the seventh leg of the World Rally Championship and move within seven points of the French world champion. The 28-year-old Finn carried a comfortable lead into yesterday's final five stages, and kept out of trouble to finish 1min 12.9sec ahead of Frenchman Sebastien Ogier in a Citroen C4.
The win was the eighth of Hirvonen's WRC career and ended a victory drought that extended back to Rally Japan in 2008. After four second-place finishes this year, a perfect 10 point finish sees Hirvonen breathing down the neck of Loeb, who crashed out of this rally on Saturday.
"It really did look very difficult at the start but it worked out okay - a perfect weekend!" said Hirvonen. "It's great for the team. Now we're back in the game again - the timing couldn't have been better!"
Ogier was left celebrating his first ever WRC podium finish. "Perfect!" said the Frenchman. "This weekend was all about conservation. We made no mistakes and we looked after the car and the tires. Just one puncture all weekend and the car has run perfectly."
The win was the eighth of Hirvonen's WRC career and ended a victory drought that extended back to Rally Japan in 2008. After four second-place finishes this year, a perfect 10 point finish sees Hirvonen breathing down the neck of Loeb, who crashed out of this rally on Saturday.
"It really did look very difficult at the start but it worked out okay - a perfect weekend!" said Hirvonen. "It's great for the team. Now we're back in the game again - the timing couldn't have been better!"
Ogier was left celebrating his first ever WRC podium finish. "Perfect!" said the Frenchman. "This weekend was all about conservation. We made no mistakes and we looked after the car and the tires. Just one puncture all weekend and the car has run perfectly."