Citroen will not appeal Hirvonen disqualification

Citroen will not appeal against the decision to strip Finnish driver Mikko Hirvonen of his victory in the Rally of Portugal, the team announced on Tuesday. Hirvonen, the runner-up in the 2011 World Rally Championship, was disqualified after winning the race on Sunday when the clutch on his factory Citroen was deemed illegal, leaving Ford's Mads Ostberg to celebrate his maiden triumph. "Upon further examination of the dossier, we uncovered no new technical elements," read a statement from Citroen issued on Tuesday. "After consulting different experts, Citroen Racing therefore decided not to appeal to the International Appeals Tribunal (TAI) of the (world governing body) FIA." Hirvonen's disqualification leaves eight-time champion Sebastien Loeb -- also of Citroen -- in the overall lead, four points ahead of Ford's Norwegian driver Petter Solberg after four legs of the championship.