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Hirvonen Wins Bettega Memorial Rallysprint in Bologna

Mikko Hirvonen smashed the competition in the 2009 Bettega Memorial Rallysprint, following some dominant runs in the Monday and Tuesday outings of well-known Bologna Motor Show hosted event.

The Ford driver was not the only highly rated competitor to make the entry list of the aforementioned event, as fellow WRC racers Sebastien Ogier, Peter Solberg, former WRC champion Marcus Gronholm and 7-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi also took part in the Bettega Memorial competition.

Hirvonen took his Ford Focus RS WRC to back-to-back wins during both the Monday Night Sprint competition and Tuesday's Rallysprint, both times beating Citroen Junior Team's Ogier at the finish line.

The circuit is really fast in places, and wide too, so there was no need to be scared about taking risks, or making the odd mistake. I really enjoyed myself, and of course it’s always good to compete against my ex team-mate Marcus,” said Hirvonen after winning the event, in an interview with wrc.com.

Rossi failed to break the WRC field at the end of the Rallysprint, as Solberg and Gronholm finished the event on 3rd and 4th place respectively.

The Bettega Memorial Rallysprint is an international event held during the Bologna Motor Show as a tribute to Italian driver Attilio Bettega (he lost his life during the Tour du Corse back in 1985). The Rallysprint is run on a 1 kilometer mixed-surface track and has a similar format to the WRC's Super Special Stages.
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