Birthday boy leads Rally Finland

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Mikko Hirvonen celebrated his 29th birthday in style today as he and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen led the opening leg of Rally Finland from start to finish.  The Finns won four of the eight gravel speed tests in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to build a 3.3sec lead in this ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.  Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are fourth in another Focus RS WRC.

Hirvonen's day of celebration was completed when he was presented with a huge birthday cake by team director Malcolm Wilson in the service park at Jyväskylä this evening in front of his home town fans, who burst into an impromptu chorus of Happy Birthday.

Rally Finland is widely viewed as the highlight of the season and huge crowds packed the horse trotting track on the edge of Jyväskylä last night for a short opening speed test.  The action began in earnest this morning as the 90 starters journeyed north-west of the town for two identical loops of four special stages amid the forests and lakes of the picturesque countryside.  The day ended with a second pass over the Killeri trotting track test, drivers having completed 130.84km of competition.

Warm sunshine brought more massive crowds into the forests to watch the action on the blisteringly fast roller-coaster roads, which boast characteristics unique to the championship.  Stomach-churning jumps hid fast bends just beyond the crests, demanding full concentration from the drivers and pin-point accuracy in the delivery of the pace notes from co-drivers.  

Hirvonen, who leads the drivers' championship by one point with four rounds remaining, was third after last night's curtain-raiser.  He took the lead by winning this morning's opening stage at a remarkable average speed of 126.13kph, and stretched his advantage to 7.1sec after also winning the next test.  He reached the mid-leg service with a lead of 3.6sec.

After stiffening the suspension settings on his Focus RS WRC, the afternoon loop was a carbon copy of this morning.  Hirvonen was again quickest over the opening two stages, before nearest rival Sébastien Loeb edged closer by winning the next two as the battle for the lead raged between them.

"I'm leading my home rally on my birthday – things don't get much better," said Hirvonen.  "This time last year I was 14sec behind Loeb so that's a big improvement.  I'm feeling confident but I know that I must continue to push because he is only a few seconds away and won't give up.  I prefer it that way because it's really enjoyable to be driving flat out and fighting for tenths of a second.

"Now that the battle is on I don't feel as relaxed as yesterday, but that was to be expected.  I thought the first two stages of each loop would be harder for me but, ironically, they were the two tests on which I was fastest.  I made a few small mistakes this afternoon but nothing serious.  Tomorrow is a big, big day and I must be prepared," he added.

Latvala settled into fourth during a solid morning and the 24-year-old Finn was delighted to emerge safely from the Mökkiperä stage after crashing there in both 2007 and 2008.  "It has been a difficult stage in the past and it was a special feeling for me to finish that test.  The pressure went away and I felt I could breathe again," he explained.

He remained in fourth during the afternoon and returned to Jyväskylä 30.1sec behind his team-mate, but only 10.1sec behind third-placed Dani Sordo.

"As a result of my mistakes in previous years I haven't driven these stages for the past two seasons so I was quite cautious.  I know tomorrow's roads better and will feel more confident.  I've done what I was asked to do today and driven to help Mikko's title challenge.  After my error on the last round it took time for me to relax but now I feel I'm nearly at 100 percent with my rhythm and confidence.  My target is to overtake Sordo but he's driving well and there's no point in driving crazily to achieve that.  I'm here to be a team player," he added.

Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi and Michael Orr are 12th in the team's other Focus RS WRC.  "We had an interesting start on this morning's stages," commented Al Qassimi.  "We started to lift the pace as the day went on but we really need more mileage under our belts.  The roads here are some of the fastest around which obviously brings with it difficulties – you need to be fully committed through the fast corners and for that you need to have a true feeling for the car."

News from other Ford teams

Finns Matti Rantanen and Mikko Lukka made a tremendous debut for the Munchi's Ford team by holding fifth in their Focus RS WRC with team-mates Federico Villagra and Jorge Perez Companc in 13th.  Stobart VK M-Sport Ford drivers Henning Solberg and Caro Menkerud are sixth in their Focus RS WRC, although the Norwegian driver admits he has struggled for pace in the fast Finnish forests.  Team-mates Matthew Wilson and Scott Martin said the same after piloting their similar car to 10th.

Tomorrow’s Route

The second leg in Finland is traditionally one of the season's classic days.  After a 06.15 start, competitors head south-west of Jyväskylä to tackle two loops of three stages near Jämsä, before a late afternoon cluster of tests near Mänttä.  They return for the final overnight halt at 20.42 after more than 14 hours behind the wheel.  They face 166.87km of action, almost half the rally's competitive distance.

Leaderboard at end of Day 1
1. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen (FIN)                Ford Focus RS          1h04m12.3s
2. S Loeb/D Elena (FRA)                         Citroën C4               +3.3s
3. D Sordo/M Marti (ESP)                        Citroën C4               +20.0s
4. J-M Latvala/M Anttila (FIN)                  Ford Focus RS          +30.1s
5. M Rantanen/M Lukka                          Ford Focus RS          +1m14.1s
6. H Solberg/C Menkerud (NOR)           Ford Focus RS         +1m16.7s
7. M Östberg/J Andersson (NOR)             Subaru Impreza       +1m36.5s
8. J Ketomaa/M Stenberg (FIN)               Subaru Impreza       +1m38.4s
9. S Ogier/J Ingrassia (FRA)                    Citroën C4               +2m14.6s
10. M Wilson /S Martin (GB)                    Ford Focus RS         +2m18.1s

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