Hirvonen: the WRC, a major event in Finland

Mikko Hirvonen will be one of the many Finns at the start of this rally and, with Jari-Matti Latvala, will undoubtedly be one of the favorites for victory. The Citroën driver has only won once at home and intends to once again add his name to the list of winners in this championship event, so special for all Finns.

« The town of Jyväskylä is transformed with preparation for the rally, explains Hirvonen. Everyone only talks about that anymore. We prepare the itineraries to go see the special stages with friends or family. And the closer we get to the start, the more we feel this excitement. In the local newspapers, there are multitudes of more or less bizarre predictions. Who will win the first special, who will go off the road first? It is a major event in Finland because the Finns are real rally enthusiasts.."

The Finn was also delighted to find the special stages which made the reputation of the Rally Finland, but also new roads which have appeared on the route of this 62nd edition of the Neste Oil Rally Finland. “ I'm happy to see old specials reappear, adds Hirvonen. But there will also be new routes, like Mynnila. Obviously, I'm happy to see Ouninpohja come back. It's an incredible special, one of the two or three most beautiful of the season. It?s also one of the most difficult because you have to flirt with the limit at every turn, on every bump! It's on full blast all the time. The sensations are indescribable. We enter another world and we stay there even after passing the stop point, when we think back to what we have just done. »