The 15-time WRC rally winner was one of Loeb’s fiercest rivals, finishing second to the Frenchman on four occasions in the championship from 2008-2012. The closest fight came in 2009 when the Finn, driving for M-Sport, was pipped to the title by a single point.
While Hirvonen bowed out of the WRC at the end of 2014, nine-time champion Loeb, aged 47, has continued to compete in sporadic appearances, including his most recent comeback this year, resulting in a victory at last month’s Monte Carlo season opener.
Although impressed by his comeback, Hirvonen is not interested in reviving his own WRC career at the age of 44, but would prefer to impart his knowledge in helping aspiring drivers break into the championship.
This week Hirvonen has been thrusted back into the spotlight in a new role as Toyota’s chief instructor for its WRC young driver programme, that aims to provide young Japanese drivers a pathway into the WRC.
This week three new young recruits were selected to…
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