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Latvala takes World Rally victory in Finland

A home win for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team pairing of Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila in the weekend’s eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) reinforced the need for specialist knowledge to succeed in the high-speed Neste Oil Rally of Finland.

Among the 13 rounds on the 2010 WRC calendar, Rally Finland has a tradition of being dominated by local drivers. Latvala, who won Rally New Zealand earlier this year, became the youngest victor in Finland since the event became a round of the WRC in 1973.

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, driving for the Citroen Total WRC Team in the remaining gravel events this season, finished second, trailing Latvala by 10.1 seconds after 310.05 competitive kilometres. Current WRC drivers’ title leaders Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena were third, ahead of two more Citroen C4 WRC drivers Petter Solberg and Dani Sordo rounding out the top five.

Rally Finland organisers elected to run two longer days, rather than the traditional three-day format. The weather played a role in creating an even more demanding event when the record-setting summer heat turned wet and helping the cars running first on the road.

Latvala’s fellow countryman and team-mate Mikko Hirvonen led the rally initially until crashing spectacularly mid-way through the first day. This left Norway’s Petter Solberg to battle with Latvala, but the Finn had the edge and took the overnight lead. Starting day two as first car on the road, Latvala benefited from the damper conditions and preserved his pace to stay far enough ahead for victory from the fast-closing Citroen duo of Ogier and Loeb.

Latvala and Anttila were mobbed by the multitude of Finnish rally fans the event always attracts as they took to the podium in Jyväskylä. Latvala said the victory fulfilled a long-held goal. “It’s amazing to win my home rally and it’s something I have dreamed of since I was a small boy,” he said. “The first time I watched this rally was in 1992 when I was seven and the only thing I could think about then was that I would never be able to drive as fast as the stars I was watching. In 2003 I drove this rally for the first time and still I never thought I would win. To win in front of my home fans, in a country where rallying means so much to everyone, is a dream.  I’ve learned that if you relax and make no mistakes then you can have a good rally. There have been so many people watching and it was a fantastic atmosphere – this is the best rally in the world,” he added.

Latvala’s second rally win this season sees him elevated to third overall in the WRC drivers’ standings, 61 behind Loeb on 166 and 13 behind Ogier on 118.

Four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen returned to the sport for a one-off guest appearance in a Ford Focus WRC car almost eight years after his last WRC event and finished eighth overall.  Former Formula One champion and fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen was eighth after the first day but lost time off the road to end a disappointing 25th overall.

Young Estonian Pirelli Star Driver Ott Tänak, navigated by experienced co-driver Kuldar Sikk, won the Production World Rally Championship category. After an early battle with Finnish guest driver Juha Salo, also in a Mitsubishi Lancer, Tänak was in a class of his own and took hold of and defended the PWRC lead, scooping his first-ever PWRC points in style. The two-time Estonian champion retired this season in both Turkey and Portugal after promising starts and was determined to make his mark this weekend. Consistently fast times and four stage wins across the Finnish gravel left the unshakeable 22-year-old nearly a minute and a half ahead of second-placed guest driver Jukka Ketomäki.

New Zealander and fellow Pirelli Star Driver Hayden Paddon overcame a puncture on the final stage to claim the last spot on the PWRC podium, albeit a further minute and a half adrift of Ketomäki. The second-placed Finn’s pace was phenomenal as he racked up nine stage wins to overcome a series of minor problems with his car over the morning of day one. Meanwhile, Paddon continued with his trademark determination, holding fourth until championship contender Patrik Flodin’s engine woes late on the Saturday forced the Swede to retire from the rally. Despite a puncture on the final stage, Paddon claimed the last spot on the PWRC podium.

Flodin retains his second overall in the PWRC standings behind defending champion Arujo, who didn’t attend the event. Paddon’s podium elevates the 23-year-old Kiwi to third with four rounds left to contest.

“This whole event has been a real buzz to be a part of, with hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the stages, touring stages and in the service park,” said Paddon after his third event in the Pirelli Star Driver award programme.  “There were even several New Zealand flags being waved, which was great, and it was also good to be able to share this result with my family and the Rally Tours NZ group. I hope they enjoyed their weekend just as much as we did.”
All five Pirelli Star Driver cars finished the rally for the first time. The driver development programme sees the five young drivers contest three more rounds this season.

Reinforcing the Finnish theme of dominance, guest pairing Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula in a Škoda Fabia triumphed over the Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) field also contesting Neste Oil Rally Finland. Swedes P-G Andersson and Patrik Sandell completed a Škoda full house on the SWRC podium, the two former JWRC Champions having battled with one another throughout the rally. Spaniard Xevi Pons maintains his SWRC series, despite not competing in Finland. P-G Andersson is now second and Czech Republic’s Martin Prokop moves to third in the SWRC standings.

Next up on the WRC calendar is the tarmac round of Rallye Deutschland running from 19 to 22 August. Based in Trier in Germany, the rally includes all categories: WRC, PWRC, SWRC and JWRC. Paddon and co-driver John Kennard will be among the five Pirelli Star Drivers again competing in the PWRC field.
ENDS/

Photo information: Free to use.
Kiwis Hayden Paddon and John Kennard put in a determined and successful run on their first attempt at the world-famous Neste Oil Rally Finland over the weekend to finish third in the Production World Rally Championship category.

Results:
Rally Finland (Top five overall)
1, J-M Latvala/M Anttila, Finland, Ford Focus RS, 2hr 31min 29.6sec
2, S Ogier/J Ingrassia, France, Citroen C4, 2hr 31min 39.7sec
3, S Loeb/D Elena, France, Citroen C4, 2hr 31min 55.6sec
4, P Solberg/C Patterson, Norway, Citroen C4, 2hr 32min 00.3sec
5, D Sordo/M Marti, Spain, Citroen C4, 2hr 33min 14.6sec

FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (after 8 of 13 rounds)
1,Sebastien Loeb, 166 pts
2, Sébastien Ogier, 118 pts
3, Jari-Matti Latvala, 105 pts
4, Petter Solberg, 90 pts
5, Mikko Hirvonen, 86 pts

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (after 8 of 13 rounds)
1, Citroen Total, 265 pts
2, BP Ford Abu Dhabi, 210 pts
3, Citroen Junior, 155 pts
4, Stobart M-Sport Ford, 108 pts
5, Munchi's Ford, 40 pts

FIA Production World Rally Championship for Drivers
1, Armindo Araújo (PRT) Mitsubishi, 58 pts
2, Patrik Flodin (SWE) Subaru, 50 pts
3, Hayden Paddon (NZL) Mitsubishi, 40 pts
4, Anders Grøndal (NOR) Subaru, 30 pts
5, Toshi Arai (JPN) Subaru, 30 pts