Hirvonen sticks two figures up at Subaru!

Subaru reject Mikko Hirvonen showed his old team boss, David Lapworth that he might have been wrong to drop him at the end of 2004, by putting in a storming performance today [Friday] on day one of the Rally Italia Sardinia - one that has won him all round applause.

The Finn concluded the day third overall, with only world champions, Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg ahead of him on the leaderboard.

Furthermore while there is no doubt he benefited from having a lower start position and consequently a cleaner and faster line, the fact he is in a privateer Focus and one that is a spec. below that used by the 'works' drivers, Toni Gardemeister and Roman Kresta - and Antony Warmbold and Henning Solberg for that matter - is something of a coup.

"I gained an awful lot from my road position this morning," he admitted, modestly.

"The car though is easy to drive, exactly how I wanted it. I had a few lucky escapes but I tried to drive neatly through the corners and then flat out everywhere else, even over all the rocks and the rough sections.

"I will try to keep the same pace tomorrow but I'm sure Toni will trying just as hard to catch me."

Gardemeister for the record ended the day fifth overall, 34.8 seconds behind, while Kresta, on his first appearance in Sardinia, took it cautiously and was eleventh. Mark Higgins was 12th, also in a 2003 spec. Focus, while Warmbold overnights in 14th, two places in front of Henning Solberg.

Hirvonen it seems has put himself back on the WRC radar and while granted it is early days - there are still two legs to go - if he can keep it up he will sent out the best possible signal that just maybe Subaru were wrong to let him go at the end of last season. Ford boss, Malcolm Wilson might well be taking note too.

First though lets wait and see what legs 2 and 3 bring...