Monte triumph delights Hirvonen

Mikko Hirvonen has spoken of his delighted at winning the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time during the post-event press conference in Monaco this afternoon.

Finn Hirvonen, driving M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta S2000 in competition for the first time and making his debut in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, led the event from start to finish.

He said: "It’s one of the most legendary rallies there is with a long history. It’s never an easy rally to win because the conditions are very difficult as they were again this year. I’m really happy we managed to win. It’s more special because the boys have worked really hard in the last few weeks and we managed to get a good result thanks to the whole package. We are all really happy.”