Hirvonen reveals last-stage scare

The Ford driver was locked in a battle with Dani Sordo for third place on the final day and, after heading into the last stage just 5.2 seconds adrift of the podium spot, he made a major effort to close down the gap.

His work almost became his undoing, however, when he pushed just a bit too hard towards the end of the final stage and nearly crashed out completely.

"Third would have been great, but I'm lucky not to be halfway down a mountain," said the Finn. "About 8.5km after the start of the last stage, I slid wide in a corner onto some gravel.

"The car was totally off the road, and I thought we would tumble over the edge. Thankfully we didn't, and I eased off after that.

"I drove to the maximum until then and it was fantastic, but I had to think about the manufacturer points as well. It was like driving on a knife, but I had a great rhythm and feeling with the car."