WRC
Mikko Hirvonen/Subaru test notes 2003-12-22
Hirvonen impresses on Impreza debut. The Subaru team's latest recruit, 23-year-old Mikko Hirvonen, got behind the wheel of an Impreza WRC2003 for the first time on Friday (19th) and quickly showed the sort of intuitive talent that has earned him ...
Published: Dec 31, 2003, 8:25 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Hirvonen impresses on Impreza debut.
The Subaru team's latest recruit, 23-year-old Mikko Hirvonen, got behind the wheel of an Impreza WRC2003 for the first time on Friday (19th) and quickly showed the sort of intuitive talent that has earned him a place in the team for 2004.
Mikko Hirvoinen.
Photo by Subaru World Rally Team.
After driving more than 300kms up and down a 3.5km tarmac road near the French Alpine town of Gap, Mikko and the team's Principal Engineer, Pierre Genon were both pleasantly surprised at how quickly he'd adapted to the new car. By the end of the day Hirvonen was setting times not far behind those of his teammate and current World Champion Petter Solberg. "It was a quite a surprise," said Mikko. "I thought it would be much more difficult to get used to, but it seems the car is easy to drive, very stable and much smoother through the corners than I was expecting. I didn't expect to develop this good feeling quite so soon, so I'm very happy."
As most of his WRC experience has been gained driving a Ford Focus, Mikko and the rest of the team were anxious to see how he'd get on in the same version of the Impreza he'll be starting next year's Monte Carlo and Sweden rallies with.
The day before taking the wheel himself, Mikko had benefited from a few hints and tips on driving the car from Petter. With Hirvonen strapped into the co-drivers seat, Petter turned tutor for a dozen passes through the test road, sharing suggestions on how to get the best from the car along the way via the helmet intercom. "That was very useful, said Mikko. "He talked about the tyres and driving style, how he brakes, uses the diffs, that sort of thing. When we got to the end of the stage and had turned the car around we had a quick discussion about the trip, and away we went again. The main thing that I knew I'd need to adapt was my braking style on approaching corners. I'm used to braking very late and very hard, but the Impreza performs better with a more progressive and smooth approach to the corners. It was a very good experience, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it too much - no matter who's driving, I still find sitting in the co-drivers seat pretty scary."
Early on Friday morning Mikko and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen set off on their first few solo runs. Pierre Genon said: "The day was mainly about familiarisation. We left the car with exactly the same set-up as Petter had used the day before and Mikko got in and did 100kms just to get a feel for it. The conditions on the road were quite muddy and slippery but he got to a good pace very quickly. In the afternoon we experimented with some very small set-up changes but concentrated mainly on evaluating some of the Pirelli tyres we'll be using in Monte Carlo. All in all it was a very good day."
Mikko tested again on Saturday, when he concentrated on trying the various Pirelli tyre options available for Monte Carlo. "We were driving a tarmac stage on studded snow tyres," said Mikko. "It's a position you can often find yourself in on the Monte Carlo rally, so it's a good idea to see just what's possible in those conditions."
-subaru-
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Sebastian Vollak signs with OMV for 2004
Next article M-Sport confirms Warmbold for full 2004 programme
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Petter Solberg
Inside the mind of the WRC’s “Hollywood” showman
WRC
WRC
Inside the mind of the WRC’s “Hollywood” showman
WRC legend Petter Solberg set for rally comeback in ERC
ERC
ERC
WRC legend Petter Solberg set for rally comeback in ERC
Solberg to make Italy WRC return with Pirelli test car
WRC
WRC
Rally Italy
Solberg to make Italy WRC return with Pirelli test car
Latest news
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
3 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe