Jari-Matti Latvala breaks Loeb's winning streak with 1-2 Ford victory in Sardinian Rally

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Jari-Matti Latvala won his second competition in the World Rally Championship at the weekend, taking top honours in the Rally d'Italia Sardegna, ahead of fellow Finn and Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen.
      It was an important victory for Latvala after a poor start to the season that had sapped his self-confidence.
      Latvala won his first WRC event last year in Sweden at just 22 years of age, and the talented 24-year-old has been expected to repeat the dose before now, but he has hitherto fallen short, often through errors behind the wheel.
     
On this occasion the Ford team chose to adhere to the drivers' own wishes, and did not order Latvala to make way for Hirvonen, who is better placed in the challenge for the drivers' championship title. Latvala's margin of victory at the end was just under half a minute.
      The Finnish Ford 1-2 broke a six-rally winning streak for reigning World Champion Sebastien Loeb (Citroen), who has cleaned up in the first five races of the season and also won the Rally of Great Britain at the end of last year's campaign.
     
Frenchman Loeb naturally continues to enjoy a large lead in the title race, with 55 points to his name after finishing fourth at the weekend.
      Hirvonen is 2nd with 38 points and Loeb's Citroen team-mate Dani Sordo of Spain is 3rd with 31 points.
      Latvala now has 19 points - his only other podium appearance this season was a third-place finish behind Loeb and Hirvonen in Norway.
     
The double victory for Ford somewhat evened up the manufacturers' championship race, but Citroen continue to hold a healthy 26-point advantage.
      The next rally will be held on gravel in Greece, over the weekend of June 12-14th.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Jari-Matti Latvala becomes youngest driver to win WRC race (11.2.2008)

Links:
  2009 World Rally Championship (Wikipedia)
  WRC Official Site

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