BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally team director Malcolm Wilson has paid tribute to his number one driver
Mikko Hirvonen following the Finn's win at the weekend on the Rally of Turkey.
Hirvonen eventually took the victory on the eighth round in the World Rally Championship by 7.9 seconds and the ten points he earned puts him back in the lead in the race for the 2008 drivers' title, three points up on multiple world champion,
Sebastien Loeb.
Mikko's win along with
Jari-Matti Latvala's second place in the sister Focus RS WRC07 also allowed the M-Sport-run outfit to extend its lead over
Citroen in the manufacturers' championship, increasing the margin from just 2 points to a more healthy 9.
"Tactics won in the end and what our two young drivers did this weekend was nothing short of special. It was a brave decision to drop time on Friday but it proved the right one," Wilson Sr reflected. "I'm proud of the drivers and the team and it's a great way to end the first half of the season. It was the drive of Mikko's life and it's fantastic to lead both series going into the mid-season break. Days don't get much better than this."
The result was also special as not only was it the team's first 1-2 finish of the year, but it also saw the 'Blue Oval' become the first manufacturer since the launch of the WRC to notch up one hundred consecutive points' finishes [see seperate story].
"I have to say it's definitely one of my best days since running the team. To see the work put in back at base and here, it's great. Everybody knows we were expected to win in Greece. The guys and team have learned a lot since the Acropolis," he added. "This is the dream result. It's great to go into the second half of the season leading the Championship.
"It's also important for Ford to get the 100th point-scoring finish too. This is something which started in Monte Carlo, 2002. To get the 100th finish is testament to the strength of the Focus."
