Mikko Hirvonen facts for kids
Hirvonen in Germany, 2014.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| Born | 31 July 1980 Kannonkoski, Finland |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 2002–2014 |
| Co-driver | Jarmo Lehtinen Miikka Anttila |
| Teams | Citroën, Ford, Subaru, Škoda, M-Sport |
| Rallies | 163 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 15 |
| Podiums | 69 |
| Stage wins | 260 |
| Total points | 1210 |
| First rally | 2002 Rally Finland |
| First win | 2006 Rally Australia |
| Last win | 2012 Rally Italia Sardegna |
| Last rally | 2014 Wales Rally GB |
Mikko Hirvonen (born on July 31, 1980) is a Finnish former rally driver. He used to compete in the exciting World Rally Championship (WRC). After his WRC career, he became a rally-raid driver.
Mikko was a top driver in the WRC. He finished third in the drivers' championship in some years. He also helped the Ford team win the "manufacturers' title" (which means the best car maker) in 2006 and 2007. He was the runner-up (second place) to the famous driver Sébastien Loeb in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012.
Mikko's co-driver, who helps him with directions during races, was Jarmo Lehtinen from 2003 until Mikko retired in 2014. Before that, Miikka Anttila was his co-driver in 2002.
Contents
Mikko Hirvonen's Rally Career
Early Years (2002–2005)
Mikko Hirvonen started his rally career strong. In 2002, he won the under 2000 cc Group A Finnish Rally Championship. He was one of the youngest drivers in the World Rally Championship when he joined full-time in 2003. He drove for the Ford World Rally Team and earned his first points by finishing sixth at the Cyprus Rally.
In 2004, Mikko joined the Subaru World Rally Team. He took the place of Richard Burns, who was unwell. Mikko was teammates with the 2003 world champion, Petter Solberg. Mikko scored points in ten rallies that year. His best results were fourth place at the Rally Argentina and the Rally Australia.
These results were not enough for him to keep his spot at Subaru for 2005. So, Mikko raced as a privateer, meaning he wasn't part of a big factory team. He drove an older Ford Focus car. He even led one rally and achieved a fantastic third-place finish at the Rally Catalunya.
Joining Ford and First Wins (2006–2007)
Mikko's strong performances as a privateer caught Ford's attention again. They signed him for the 2006 season to drive their new Ford Focus RS WRC 06. He was teammates with the experienced driver Marcus Grönholm.
Mikko achieved his first ever World Rally Championship win at the Rally Australia in 2006. He also finished second at the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, the Rally of Turkey, and the Rally New Zealand. He finished on the podium (top three) in six rallies in a row! This helped him secure third place overall in the drivers' championship.
In 2007, Mikko continued his success. He started the season with a fifth place at the 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo and a third place at the 56th Uddeholm Swedish Rally. He won his second WRC race in Norway. Later that year, he also won the 2007 Rally Japan and the final race of the season, the 2007 Wales Rally GB. He finished third in the drivers' championship again. With Marcus Grönholm, Mikko helped Ford win the manufacturers' title for the second year in a row.
Leading Ford and Close Battles (2008–2014)
In 2008, Mikko became the main driver for the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi team after Marcus Grönholm retired. His younger Finnish teammate was Jari-Matti Latvala. Mikko started the season well with a second place at the 2008 Monte Carlo Rally. He was a favorite to win in Sweden but finished second to his teammate.
Mikko got his first win of 2008 at the 2008 Jordan Rally. He then won his second race of the season in Turkey. Even though he was expected to win his home event, the Rally Finland, he finished second to his main rival, Sébastien Loeb.
In New Zealand, Mikko was leading but had a flat tire and spun, dropping him to third place. This was a tough race for Ford. Mikko ended up eight points behind Loeb in the championship with only four rallies left.
Loeb eventually won the drivers' championship in 2008. However, the fight for the manufacturers' title was still on. In the final race, the Wales Rally GB, Mikko rolled his car. He managed to recover and finish eighth, which meant he and his co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen became the first WRC drivers to score points in every race of a season!
The 2009 season was another close battle. Mikko started with a third place in Ireland. He narrowly lost to Loeb in Norway and finished second to him in Cyprus and Portugal. In Portugal, Mikko tied a record for scoring points in 22 events in a row. In Argentina, Mikko's car had an engine problem, and he had to retire. This gave Loeb a big lead in the championship.
But Mikko fought back! He won his first race of 2009 at the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Loeb crashed out of that race, which helped Mikko close the gap. Mikko then won his second race in a row at the Rally Poland, taking the lead in the championship. He also won his home event, the Rally Finland, for the first time.
In Australia, Mikko was in a very close fight with Loeb. Loeb initially won, but his car had a small issue, and he received a time penalty. This handed the win and 10 points to Mikko! Mikko was leading the championship by just one point going into the final race. He needed a win to secure the title, but a hard landing caused a problem with his car's hood. This cost him time, and Loeb won the championship.
In 2010, Mikko continued with Ford, driving the Ford Focus RS WRC. In 2011, he switched to the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
For the 2012 season, Mikko moved to the Citroën team to be teammates with Sébastien Loeb. He won his first rally for Citroën in Portugal, which put him in the lead of the championship. However, he was later disqualified from that event because of some issues with his car's clutch and turbo.
The year 2013 was a bit tough for Mikko. He finished on the podium five times but didn't win any races. He had one of his biggest accidents in Wales that year. He finished the season in fourth place overall.
On December 13, 2013, it was announced that Mikko would return to the M-Sport team (which used to be Ford) for the 2014 season. He had a good season, getting two podium finishes and three "power stage" wins (where drivers get extra points). He finished fourth in the championship, behind the strong Volkswagen team drivers.
On November 6, 2014, Mikko announced that he would retire from rally driving. This announcement came just before the start of the Wales Rally GB.
Rally-Raid Adventures (2015-Present)
After retiring from the World Rally Championship, Mikko Hirvonen started a new adventure in 2015. He began competing in rally-raid events for the X-Raid team, driving a Mini Countryman. He finished third at the Baja Aragón with his co-driver Michel Périn.
In January 2016, he achieved an impressive fourth place at the famous 2016 Dakar Rally. He continued to do well in the 2016 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup, winning the Hungarian Baja and finishing third in other races. He ranked fourth overall in the series. In 2017, he finished 13th at the 2017 Dakar Rally. He also competed in the 2018 Dakar Rally, finishing 19th.
WRC Victories
| No. | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  19th Telstra Rally Australia |
2006 | Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Focus RS WRC 06 |
| 2 |  2nd Rally Norway |
2007 | ||
| 3 |  4th Rally Japan |
Ford Focus RS WRC 07 | ||
| 4 |  63rd Wales Rally of Great Britain |
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| 5 |  26th Jordan Rally |
2008 | ||
| 6 |  9th Rally of Turkey |
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| 7 | 5th Rally Japan |
Ford Focus RS WRC 08 | ||
| 8 |  56th Acropolis Rally of Greece |
2009 | Ford Focus RS WRC 09 | |
| 9 |  66th Rally of Poland |
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| 10 | 59th Neste Oil Rally Finland |
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| 11 | 20th Repco Rally Australia |
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| 12 |  58th Rally Sweden |
2010 | ||
| 13 | 59th Rally Sweden |
2011 | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | |
| 14 | 21st Rally Australia |
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| 15 |  9º Rally d'Italia Sardegna |
2012 | Citroën DS3 WRC |
IRC Victories
| No. | Event | Season | Co-driver | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  78ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo |
2010 | Jarmo Lehtinen | Ford Fiesta S2000 |
Dakar Rally Results
| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stages won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Cars | Mini |
4th | 1 |
| 2017 | 13th | 0 | ||
| 2018 | 19th | 0 |
See also
In Spanish: Mikko Hirvonen para niños
