Mikko Hirvonen was the Class act over the weekend in the Classic 2WD category of the Otago Rally beating home top local drivers Deane Buist (Ford Escort RS1800), who finished second, and Jeff Judd (Ford Escort RS1800) who finished in third.
“It’s been a good rally,” commented Hirvonen (Rossendale Ford Escort RS1800). “We have been really enjoying it, so really happy.
“It’s fantastic in the Escort. I was worried I would destroy the tyres but we have thrown it sideways and have enjoyed ourselves.”
Hirvonen won six of the eight Leg 1 (Saturday) Special Stages and then went on to win six of the seven on Sunday (Leg 2) with SS 13 (Berwick 2) being cancelled. While Buist won two stages, he finished just 1min 18 seconds down with Judd another 4min 47.6 seconds further back. In the overall results, Hirvonen finished ninth.
“Mikko is fast but we knew he would be,” said Buist. “As long as I can keep ahead of John (Silcock) and Jeff (Judd) that’s all that matters. It’s been awesome to be in the Escort on these roads.”
The Finnish former World Rally Championship driver won 15 WRC events and drove for Citroen, Ford, Subaru, Skoda and M-Sport between 2002-2014.
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