Ex-WRC star, current Dakar driver Hirvonen enters 2019 Cyprus Rally
Former World Rally Championship star and current Dakar Rally driver Mikko Hirvonen will enter the penultimate round of this year's European Rally Championship, the Cyprus Rally

Hirvonen who finished as runner-up to Sebastien Loeb in the WRC standings four times in his career, will drive a Ford Fiesta R5 run by fellow former Ford factory driver Markko Martin at the event on September 27-29.
"I have fond memories of the Cyprus Rally from the world championship," said Hirvonen, who started the Cyprus Rally four times in his WRC career.
He finished on the podium at the event twice and scored a second place on his last start there 10 years ago (below).
"The podium will be the last thing on my mind when I return later this month," he continued. "This is about having fun on a challenging rally.
"Having contested the Dakar three times, I like this kind of challenge, which is more about driving with a bit strategy rather than going flat out.
"I've known Markko Martin for a long time and Cyprus is a great place to go to this time of year. It's a well-organised and demanding event."
Hirvonen tested the Fiesta he will run in Cyprus at the Louna-Eesti Ralli in Estonia at the end of August.
He added: "Although I'm not going to be paying too much attention to my stage times in Cyprus, I said to Markko I'd prefer to have some knowledge of the Fiesta and his team before Cyprus.
"Doing the event was good practice and it was actually quite useful because we had a small technical problem that could easily have occurred in Cyprus had we not found it in Estonia."
The Cyprus Rally, which qualifies as a Middle East championship even as well as an ERC round, returns to Nicosia and the mountain roads around the city after being based in Larnaca last season.

Paddon couldn't let Finland test crash be end of M-Sport WRC deal
Hyundai boss Adamo putting pressure on himself in WRC title battle

How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause
How Rovanpera overcame rallying royalty in Portugal to extend his WRC lead
Although the Rally Portugal entry list featured World Rally Championship royalty in Sebastiens Loeb and Ogier, victory was secured by rallying's rising star in Kalle Rovanpera. Here's the story of his 2022 hat-trick, as his key rivals faltered among the gravel and asphalt ahead of them
The former WRC star playing the unsung hero role for Rovanpera
Kalle Rovanpera’s 2022 World Rally Championship displays have been spectacular, with the Toyota driver benefitting from a secret weapon in his crew to win two of the opening three rallies. But while the former challenger to Sebastien Loeb won’t take credit for his fellow Finn's performances, a key bond has been formed which could prove key to Rovanpera’s title charge
How Rovanpera's Croatia turnaround sent a message to his WRC rivals
After a dominating Rally Croatia, a wrong tyre choice on the final day looked to have undone all Kalle Rovanpera's hard work and left him with a mountain to climb heading into the power stage. That he emerged the winner all the same has surely quelled any lingering doubts that the Finn is the man to beat in the 2022 WRC
How M-Sport's faith in Loubet led to a WRC reprieve after a dismal 2021
It's fair to say 2021 was a year to forget for Pierre-Louis Loubet. A maiden full World Rally Championship season offered hope but soon turned into a nightmare that ended in hospital, after being hit by a car in a road traffic accident. Now handed a lifeline by M-Sport, the Frenchman is desperate to rebuild his career
Why WRC mechanics deserve more respect
The drivers get the glare of attention, but it’s the mechanics who are key to the operation of any World Rally Championship car. Autosport donned a set of overalls and joined M-Sport on a Belgian national rally event to get an inside look into the trials and tribulations of a rally mechanic
The African McRae aiming to become a WRC pioneer
Taking his first step into the Junior World Rally Championship category, McRae Kimathi - named after 1995 world champion Colin - found himself in the unfamiliar climes of Sweden's snow and ice. Having impressed, Kimathi hopes to blaze a trail to the top level of WRC and help other African drivers to step onto the ladder