Hirvonen earns Castrol Rankings rise

The Finn, who secured a dominant win for M-Sport's new Ford Fiesta S2000 on the car's competition debut in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge opener, began the year tenth in the rankings. But Hirvonen's success means that he is likely to bump Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson down to sixth in the Castrol order.

Hirvonen's triumph in the first major motorsport event of 2010 stands as a full Castrol Rankings points score because it is one of two bonus events he can count outside of his primary category - the World Rally Championship.

Others who can expect to make big moves in the Castrol Rankings next week are Skoda drivers Juho Hanninen and Nicolas Vouilloz, who are both likely to break in to the top 200 after finishing second and third on the Monte.

British rally drivers Kris Meeke and Guy Wilks will also both move up the rankings. The reigning IRC champion may have crashed out of the Monte Carlo Rally for the second year running, but by dint of the fact that it happened later in the 2010 event he will actually gain three spots!

Rally of Scotland winner Wilks, who is contesting the full IRC campaign this year, will jump 50 places with his sixth place on the event.

For more information and to take a full look at the inaugural Castrol Rankings, go to www.castroldriverrankings.com.