BP Ford number two driver, Mikko Hirvonen has said that it will take a bit of time for it to sink in, after he took his maiden win in the WRC on the Rally Australia on Sunday.

Mikko took the lead on leg one, after many of the top drivers' - including his team-mate, Marcus Gronholm had succumbed to the conditions on the opening morning. The Finn then built up a good advantage and paced himself through the remaining two days eventually beating Subaru's Petter Solberg by just under 40 seconds.

"This is fantastic! I had so much pressure, not only to win but also to bring the car home for manufacturers' points. Petter pushed me hard but I didn't want him to get too close and it felt good to keep him back,” reflected Mikko. “I wasn't too nervous and I concentrated on controlling my speed and rhythm.

"I'm still young and to score my first win at just 26 is good. I can't believe I have finally done it.

“The team placed a lot of faith in me and it is a big relief to pay them back. It will take a lot of time to sink in. Before this I had scored podium finishes but the only way for me to learn is to fight for wins and that's what I did here. I know the Focus RS well and on the last four rallies I've learned a lot about my driving - I've been more consistent at high speed. Now the plan is to win the manufacturers' title [for BP Ford].”

Asked about the win in more detail, Mikko added that he thought he might be able to take P1, once he saw Gronholm had gone off on SS3 and had dropped down the order, losing 11 minutes.

“The possibility [to win] was there on Friday, when I saw Marcus went off. It was a big shock for me to see him off the road,” he noted. “Then again, when we had the dust on the last stage on Friday and I saw Petter had it as well. After that I thought: 'Okay, there's a chance'. You should know how many times [Ford boss] Malcolm [Wilson] called me in the car telling me not to slow down, but telling me what to do! I had to bring the points, but I had the chance and didn't want to let it slip. I needed to take a few risks, it wasn't easy. I couldn't really control my speed until Sunday, the rest of the time I went flat-out.”

Pressed on what it felt like to be leading and to be in control of a WRC event for the first time in his life, Mikko likened it to being in a film: “It was fun from Friday morning. That's how it is, when I get behind the wheel, I enjoy it - especially when there's a fight. When it all works, it's like a movie - the car just goes around the corner. It is such a fantastic feeling!”

Hirvonen's co-driver, Jarmo Lehtinen meanwhile revealed that it nearly all went wrong on the very first test on Friday, the 15.92 kilometre run through Murray North: “We had a moment on the very first corner on Friday - we were so close to going off. After that it was completely under control though. We have been in the same situation all year. This time the opposition was tougher and the stakes were higher. It helps to be in this position so many times this year, we could control our speed,” he summed-up.