Rallye-eMag /The Teams of the 2014 season
“I hope to bring back the smile on Mikko’s face”,
said Wilson. Making clear in one sentence the
situation with the Finn. Hirvonen was not happy
at Citroën. For whatever reason he has not been
able to convince the rally world that he was the
true leader of the Citroën team. What was more
important, he has not been able to convince himself.
Consequently he switched teams to Citroën where
he had to replace the highly talented Ogier and
play a support role to the great Loeb.
His first year at the Citroën squad he played it
cool and followed his own path again and near the
end of the year, his first victory for ‘The Red Army’
came in Sardinia.
So this year he comes back on the spot where
he started some time ago when took over as lead
driver for Ford when Marcus Grönholm retired.
“2013 should be Hirvonen’s year to shine.” we
said last year and he agreed with us when we met
him in Monte Carlo. However 2013 did not shine.
His famous cool seemed to have left him. He
Over the last six years Mikko Hirvonen has
didn’t record one single win. And his team did not
claimed the runner-up spot in the WRC four times. like him that much anymore. It soon became clear
While many expected him to falter under the pres- he was not on their wish list. Malcolm Wilson soon
sure Hirvonen kept his cool. But the Ford team
told the world he was willing to bring back his proended up in heavy weather and could not guaran- tege. With Wilson, we hope it will bring back his
tee Hirvonen a whole lot contract-wise.
proverbial smile!
14/40
Elfyn Evans
during his former outings for the team.
The second seat in the M-Sport team’s Fiesta RS
WRC, has been reserved for Elfyn Evans, one of Furthermore both Elfyn and his co driver Danel
the most promising up-and-coming young talents Barritt