Hirvonen thanks Duval.
Mikko Hirvonen has paid homage to Francois Duval after the Belgian obeyed team orders and eased off in the penultimate stage of the Rally RACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada, something th𒁃at h🐎anded the Finn third place.
Hirvonen struggled early on in Spain and it wasn't un🤡til Saturday afternoon that he finally found🅰 a good rhythm and felt comfortable in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT Focus RS WRC08.
Mikko Hirvonen has p🐟aid homage to Francois Duval after the Belgian obeyed team orders and eased off in the penultimate stage of the Rally RACC Catalunya-Costa Daurada, something that handed the Finn third place.
Hirvonen struggled ♋early on in Spain and 🧸it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that he finally found a good rhythm and felt comfortable in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT Focus RS WRC08.
Although he finished the twelfth round in the World Rally Championship on something of a hi🎉gh, by setting the pace in the final three stages, by then he was never going to be able to get P3 on merit.
However Duval purposely slowed in SS17 - the 20.51 kilometre run t🌞hrough Santa Marina, so that the two swapped places, something that gives Mikko an extra point - and he need♛s every one he can get if he is to stand any chance of stopping Sebastien Loeb from taking the 2008 drivers' title.
"This wasn't how I wanted to take a podium and I really have to thank Francois. He was a true team player and h𝄹elped me to score an extra point," Mikko reflected.
"Winning the drivers' championship will be very difficult now bu𒀰t it isn't out of the question so I will kee🔯p trying.
"I finally found a good rhythm yesterday afternoon and I've learned a lot about drivi🐻ng on this surface this weekend."
Asked what was wrong during the first part o🌺f the event, Hirvonen admitted that he was just attacking the stages too much.
"I was pushing way too hard💃 on Friday and Saturday. The car understeered too much. When you go way too quick into the corners this is what happens, I was losing too much time because I was too fast in," he explained. "Once I sorted this out I was able to realise the best way was to go slower in and then it turns in a little easier. I was happy with my driving after I realised that.
"Citroen will be very fast in Corsica though [the next event]. I try not to have any expectations. Like I said, I was exci♓ted after the test [before Catalunya], but nothing seemed to work on Friday. I was lost. I hope I can carry it on in Corsica now and f𒊎ight over there."
