Ford team chief Malcolm Wilson says Jari-Matti Latvala would be a deserved winner of Wales Rally GB if the Finn can maintain his lead on the world championship finale.
Latvala was in a close battle for top spot with world champion Sebastien Loeb before the Citroen driver retired on the road section heading to Sunday’s second stage when he suffered a head-on collision with a motorist, fortunately without injury to the occupants of either vehicle.
Loeb’s exit, the result of damage to the radiator of his DS3 WRC, means Latvala will take a lead of 3m19.5s into Sunday’s final three stages, the first of which, Halfway 2, begins at 10:36hrs local time.
“Jari-Matti was really up for it this morning and you could tell from Seb’s voice [after stage 18] that he was trying everything,” said Wilson. “It was shaping up to be an incredible fight and it would be great for Jari-Matti if he could get the win. Certainly there’s nobody that deserves the victory more than Jari-Matti after the season he’s had.”
Ford is currently on course for a podium lockout with Mads Ostberg and Henning Solberg second and third respectively in their M-Sport Stobart Fiestas. However, Solberg is coming under mounting pressure from MINI driver Kris Meeke in the battle for the final podium spot.