Mikko Hirvonen defeated Sebastian Ogier to win the Bettega Memorial Rallysprint in Italy yesterday.
The annual event at the Bologna Motor Show is held in memory of the late Attilio Bettega, who was killed in an accident in the Tour de Corse in 1985. The memorial rally runs on a one-kilometer mixed surface course that sees two drivers at a time go head to head in a series of knock-out contests.
Former World Rally Champions Marcus Gronholm and Petter Solberg, and MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi were among the drivers contesting this year's event, but it was Hirvonen and Ogier who went through to the finals of both the Monday evening rallysprint and yesterday's finale.
"That was the perfect way to end my season," said Hirvonen. "I enjoy these fun events and it's great to compete against my WRC colleagues without the pressure that comes with a championship rally. However, whenever we climb into any race or rally car, we all get that competitive buzz, so there was plenty of will to win from everyone out there over the last couple of days."