Mikko Hirvonen
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| Mikko Hirvonen | |
|---|---|
 Hirvonen at the Telstra Rally Australia 2006 |
|
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Active years | 2001 – |
| Teams | Ford, Subaru, Renault, Skoda |
| World rallies | 55 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podium finishes | 9 |
| Stage wins | 26 |
| Points | 111 |
| First world rally | 2001 1000 Lakes Rally |
| First win | 2006 Telstra Rally Australia |
| edit | |
Mikko Hirvonen (born July 31, 1980) is a World Rally Championship driver from Finland.
As one of the series' younger competitors he made his debut full-time in a third Ford entry in 2003, scoring one points finish. He moved to be a team-mate to 2003 champion Petter Solberg in 2004 for Subaru, but failed to impress and was again on the move for 2005. He campaigned a two-year-old Ford Focus and led one rally during the course of the year, and scored a career-best 3rd-place finish at the Rally Catalunya as a privateer.
It was Hirvonen's showings on such events that brought him back to the attention of Ford, whose factory arm resigned his services for the 2006 season. Hirvonen drives the new Ford Focus WRC partnered with Marcus Grönholm.
In 2006, Hirvonen took his first World Rally Championship win at the Telstra Rally Australia. He placed second at the Rally D'Italia, the Rally of Turkey and the Rally New Zealand. By finishing on the podium for six rallies in a row, he secured a third place overall in the drivers' championship.
In 2007, Hirvonen started with a fifth place at the 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo and a third place at the 57th Uddeholm Swedish Rally. He took his second WRC victory at the first Rally Norway.
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