Sparco’s state-of-the-art race suit, the EXTREMA RS-10, has made a debut appearance on a World Rally Championship podium today after M-Sport driver Mikko Hirvonen finished second in Rally de Portugal.

 

Hirvonen has been on impressive form in this week’s WRC event taking top three stage times in 12 out of the 16 stages, including a win in the 26km Almodovar stage on Friday. He finished just 43 seconds off the rally winning pace and ensured Sparco’s name was present on the podium yet again in WRC.

 

The Portugal rally has required a careful approach from drivers with some complicated surface conditions with changing grip levels and slippery sections that have caught many drivers out over the four day event. 

 

Hirvonen’s Sparco-wearing team-mate Elfyn Evans was one of the drivers to encounter difficulty in the tough conditions, as he rolled his Ford Fiesta RS WRC car on Friday. He restarted the rally on Saturday under the Rally 2 regulations but far down the order. Nonetheless, the Welshman showed his true potential today with three fine stage performance in his Sparco EXTREMA RS-10 race suit. 

 

Just outside of the podium places, Henning Solberg was also on top form in Portugal to claim fifth place wearing Sparco in his privateer Ford. 

 

Portugal was the fourth round of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship, which will move onto Argentina for the next rally one month from now.

 

Sparco’s Motorsport Manager Daniela Vignale said: “Congratulations to M-Sport and to Mikko Hirvonen for a fantastic podium in Portugal today. It was the first time that our EXTREMA RS-10 has finished on the podium in WRC and we hope it will be the start of many more results in the future. It was good to see Mikko so consistent throughout the rally with many top three stage times. In difficult conditions, drivers rely on lightweight comfortable race suits so they can remain focussed in the tricky conditions. We are pleased that our EXTREMA RS-10 does just that.”