Latvala wins Rally GB

Ford driver brings curtain down on 2011 WRC season with victory

Jari-Matti Latvala has won Wales Rally GB, his first victory in the World Rally Championship for more than a year.

Driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC alongside navigator Miikka Anttila, the Finn began the final day’s six stages in a close fight with Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb.

He boosted his chances of finishing first by beating Loeb on Sunday’s opening test and was virtually guaranteed the win, his first at world level for 470 days, when Loeb retired on a road section heading to the Crychan test following a head-on collision with a member of the public.

Latvala’s capture of top spot marked Ford’s third triumph in this year’s WRC following wins for this team-mate Mikko Hirvonen in Sweden and Australia earlier in the campaign.

SS23: Ogier wins Power Stage

Sebastien Ogier has won the Wales Rally GB Power Stage to bring the curtain down on a thrilling 2011 World Rally Championship season.

Driving a Citroen DS3 WRC, Ogier completed the 4.36-kilometre all-gravel test in a time of 2m41.3s to earn three bonus points. Dani Sordo took two bonus points with the second fastest time in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC, 2.7s slower than Ogier. The final Power Stage point of the season went to event winner Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Jari-Matti Latvala secured the overall victory in his factory Fiesta with Mads Ostberg second for the M-Sport Stobart team. In the battle for third place, a spin for MINI ace Kris Meeke ensured third place for Henning Solberg to make it an all-Ford Fiesta podium.

Evgeny Novikov survived a scare when he ran wide into a ditch on a right-hand bend in his Team Abu Dhabi Fiesta. He was ninth fastest.