Hirvonen: Finland crash my worst ever

30th July 2010

By Giles Wade

Mikko Hirvonen has described his huge crash on Rally Finland as the biggest of his career but insists he won’t let it dent his confidence.

The factory Ford driver was 4.9 seconds in front when he lost control of his Focus WRC after a heavy landing and rolled five times. Both he and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen were uninjured but their car suffered extensive damage. He spoke to Maxrally shortly after returning to the service park in Jyvaskyla.

What happened?
“I just went off and in the whole world that’s the place I most like to drive. It landed nicely in the middle of the road after a big jump over a crest into a right corner. It was quite a heavy landing and we went straight into a bank and rolled straight in the road, up the hill, for a long time. It happened so fast, there was nothing I could do.”

There were reports you had a problem with your steering, is that true?
“Sometimes the steering can be a bit stiff when you land but there were no problems or anything. The heavy landing just pulled the car straight off the road. It was no big jump and I was in the perfect place [on the road] so I was surprised it pulled the front so violently off the line. Certainly I don’t think anything could have broken on the landing because it landed nicely on all four wheels.”

How fast were you going?
“I was doing 140kph or something. If the speed was too much I would have flown straight off the road but if you are landing on the road then it is fine. At that speed I knew straightaway when it landed that we were not going to be that lucky to stay on its wheels.”

Are you okay?
“I was quite dizzy after the roll but I’m fine now. The team made us go to the hospital but just for checks.”

You told your boss Malcolm Wilson it was the biggest accident you’ve had, is that right?
“It was. In Japan [in 2005] the [Skoda] stopped a lot faster but I’ve never had a proper roll like this. This was a proper accident.”

How disappointed are you to be out so early?
“The dream is over and it’s just disappointing. We definitely had the speed to win the rally. It’s a real shame but it happens. At least we were at a good speed and know we’re heading in the right direction. That’s good.”

What now for the rest of the season?
“A crash like that is not going to distract me or scare me. It’s done and we’ll go to the next rallies and try to go as fast as we did here. Petter [Solberg] and Jari-Matti [Latvala] are driving really well, really fast so it could have been a great rally. We have the speed now but I cocked it up on this one. There are still some rallies to go and we have to try and do as well as we can on those rallies. We were leading here and I want to get up there as soon as I can. We’ll see about [winning in] Germany but for sure we’ll try.”