The Ford driver will be the first tackling the gravely, dusty roads of Rally Mexico three weekends from now, which means he'll most likely lose some important seconds during Day 1 of the event. Strategies will most likely come into play in Mexico, and Hirvonen is well aware of that.
“Obviously in Mexico road cleaning is a bigger deal than it was in Sweden, and if you're first car on the road you’re going to be clearing on the first passes though the stages. So yes, it going to be difficult rally, and for sure we're going to lose some time Friday. Between now and then we'll see if there's anything we can do about it,” said Hirvonen in an interview with WRC official site.
In order to be prepared for whatever title rival Sebastien Loeb will have thrown at him, the Finn will use the Ford Focus RS WRC next week during a 3-day test in Spain. Obviously, the test will go down on gravel.
Following his successful performance in Sweden, although congratulated by Loeb for his strong run, Hirvonen was warned that the reigning world champion wants revenge in Mexico, a rally that the Frenchman won for 3 consecutive times between 2006 and 2008. The WRC caravan will return to Mexico in 2010 after a one-year absence from the series.
Rally Mexico has some of the most difficult-to-tackle gravel surface in the entire WRC schedule, as its non-dense characteristics often lead to off-course excursions for the competing cars.
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