(bke) In the Acropolis Rally, held to the north and west of Athens, Mikko Hirvonen finished third behind Sébastien Loeb (Citroen) and Petter Solberg (Subaru). His team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala came seventh in his Ford Focus RS. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team thus continues to lead the team championship, while Mikko Hirvonen is now in second place in the driver’s championship, just one point behind Sébastien Loeb.
The Acropolis Rally was the toughest race of the season to date. At temperatures of around 35°C, the drivers had to struggle for control on rock-strewn gravel tracks. Mikko Hirvonen lost valuable time on the
stages. Initially because of damaged suspension and then he slid into an bank. “This was the hardest rally I have ever driven,” he said after the event. “It was so rough and we had so many troubles that third place is a great result”.
The last rally before the summer break is in Turkey on 13th to 15th June.
