Ready for '08

After winning Wales Rally GB from start to finish, BP-Ford's Mikko Hirvonen is ready for new challenges in the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship.

Hirvonen scored his third win of the 2007 season last weekend, finishing third in the drivers' championship for the second year in a row.

"To finish the season with a victory is the best possible preparation for 2008," he said. "For me to stand on the podium with Sebastien Loeb, winner of four world titles, and Marcus Gronholm, one of the sport's greatest-ever drivers, at the end of such a fantastic season is perfect. It was Marcus' final rally but I wasn't tempted to give him the win. I know him well and he would not have wanted it that way. To finish the year with three wins is so much more than I thought at the start of the season."

The young Finn showed a mature driving as he preserved his lead throughout the difficult three-day event, despite going off the road on the last stage of the rally.

"I made things exciting on the final stage when I went off the road and nearly got stuck in a ditch. I'm glad we made it through the weekend in really difficult conditions and I'm pleased for the team that we could end the season with a superb result like this," added Hirvonen.