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 that handed the Finn third place.
Hirvonen struggled early on in Spain and it wasn't unꦏtil Saturday afternoon that he finally found a good rhythm and felt comfortab🃏le in his BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT Focus RS WRC08.
Mikko Hirvonen has paid homage to Francois Duval after the Belgian obeyed team orders and eased off i🧜n the penultimate stage ofꦡ 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.
Altꦇhough he finished the twelfth round in the World Ra♔lly Championship on something of a high, 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 through Santa Marina, so that the two swapped places, something that gi꧒ves Mikko an extra point - and he needs 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 wa🎃s a true team player and helped me to score an extra point," Mikko reflected.
"Winning the drivers' championship will be very difficult now but iꩲt isn't out of the question so I will keep trying.
"I finally found a goඣod rhyt⛦hm yesterday afternoon and I've learned a lot about driving on this surface this weekend."
Asked what was wrong during the first part of the event, Hirvonen ad𝐆mitted that he was just attacking the stages too much.
"I was pushing way too hard on Friday and Saturday. The cꦅar understeered too much. When you go wa🍌y 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 a🧸ny expectations. Like I said, I was excited after the test [before Catalunyܫa], but nothing seemed to work on Friday. I was lost. I hope I can carry it on in Corsica now and fight over there."
