X-Raid Mini driver Mikko Hirvonen says his second attempt at the Dakar Rally was a stronger challenge than his 2016 debut, as he suggests he got his results “the wrong way around”. Hirvonen, who finished fourth in 2016, mixed it with the frontrunners early on in the 2017 edition before losing significant ground to navigation trouble. He looked likely to finish fifth but for a torrid run through the Chilecito–San Juan stage, complete with punctures, a gearbox failure and a collision with a truck, which consigned the Finn to an eventual 13th place. Comparing his two Dakar efforts, Hirvonen said: “It was definitely a lot more difficult and more challenging than the first one....
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