| M Sport signs Finnish Youngster for full World Championship season | ||
M Sport, the company that runs Ford’s world rally
programme, has signed 22 year old Finn Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo
Lehtinen to contest all 14 rounds of the 2003 FIA World Rally
Championship.
Director Malcolm Wilson said Hirvonen would begin his full season at Rallye Monte Carlo in January behind the wheel of the same specification Focus RS WRC as official Ford Rallye Sport drivers Markko Märtin and Francois Duval. “Essentially this is a commercial deal between M Sport and Finland’s Promo Racing. We see it as very important to keep a link between this agreement and the Ford Rallye Sport programme as Mikko has the potential to become a fully fledged factory driver in the future,” said Malcolm Wilson. The young Finn will also be in a position to assist Ford Rallye Sport’s points scoring potential, as he could be nominated as the team’s third driver for the season. “Mikko is very determined, and put in many good performances during 2002. Recently he tested a Ford Focus RS WRC in Cumbria and our engineers were astounded by his ability behind the wheel,” added Wilson.
“After just a couple of runs he was setting consistently fast times on one of our forest test tracks, matching those of more experienced drivers who are familiar with the Focus and how it drives. He has a natural talent and his enthusiasm knows no bounds. I know he will benefit enormously from running alongside Markko and Francois – as I hope in turn they will from him. “This is a very exciting time for rallying, with a number of young talented drivers coming through the ranks. To be able to identify and work with these youngsters at this level has enormous benefits, not only for the drivers themselves, but for the future development of the car and the team,” concluded Malcolm Wilson. |
