HIRVONEN ENDS SEASON WITH VICTORY IN BETTEGA RALLY

2009-12-10 14:10:55 Author: admin Source:

2009 World Rally Championships (WRC) runner-up Ford's Mikko Hirvonen ended his rally season in victorious fashion on Tuesday by sealing a double win at the Memorial Bettega Rally in Italy.

The consistent WRC contender powered his Ford Focus to victory in the floodlit sprint in Bologna at the main event, in front of a 30,000 crowd.

Hirvonen was in sparkling form to defeat challengers including former rally Champions Marcus Gronholm and Petter Solberg and Italian hero and nine-times MotoGP champion, Valentino Rossi.

The Finn beat ex-Ford team-mate Gronholm in the semi-final of the sprint event over a mixed surface, purpose-built 1km circuit. He then defeated WRC rival Citroen's Sebastien Ogier in the final.

Hirvonen came safely through the qualifying round before beating Gronholm in the semi-final. He again lined up against Ogier in the final, defeating the Frenchman by three race wins to one.

"That was the perfect way to end my season," said Hirvonen. "I enjoy these fun events and it's great to compete against my WRC colleagues without the pressure that comes with a Championship rally."

"However, whenever we climb into any race or rally car, we all get that competitive buzz so there was plenty of will to win from everyone out there over the last couple of days. Let's hope I have this winning feeling regularly in the WRC next year!" he added.

In addition, the Finn was recently named International Rally Driver of the Year at the prestigious Autosport Awards ceremony in London.