Latvala pace will boost Hirvonen, says Wilson

Malcolm Wilson says Jari-Matti Latvala’s strong pace on the all-asphalt Rallye de France Alsace earlier this month is the confidence boost Mikko Hirvonen needs to beat Sebastien Loeb on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana.

Latvala flew to seven stage wins on the Strasbourg round at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Blue Oval team boss Wilson hopes that level of performance will inspire Hirvonen on the penultimate event of the season.

“Mikko’s third place in France means we are effectively starting again from scratch heading into the last two rallies of the season [with both he and Loeb level on points],” said Wilson. “There will be no room for any errors from the three title contenders. Jari-Matti’s string of stage wins on asphalt in France was a confidence boost for the team, and Mikko is determined to prove he is capable of the same kind of form in Spain. It’s all to play for.”

Hirvonen has never won a world rally title before and was denied by Loeb by a solitary point in two seasons ago.

“I was in a similar situation in 2009 when two of us fought for the crown until the final special stage,” said Hirvonen. “The knowledge I gained two years ago will help, but I’m not looking at changing anything this time - except the final outcome. I feel pretty confident and relaxed about the whole situation. There’s nothing to lose now.”

He continued: “We don’t have any testing before Spain, but I still feel good about it. It’s going to be such a different situation in Spain compared to France, and I’m very much looking forward to having a proper fight and attacking for the title.”