Jari-Matti Latvala was in the perfect position to take victory in Rally New Zealand this morning in his Ford. Citroen Junior Team driver Sébastien Ogier had the overnight lead as the first of day three’s four stages were run on the Raglan coast but lost the lead to six-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb, while Latvala held a solid third place.
The morning’s second stage, the first run through the iconic Whaanga Coast test, saw Loeb slide off the road and lose time to Ogier, Latvala and the hard-charging Petter Solberg. The running order remained the same going through Te Hutewai for the second time with Ogier having established a 6.2 second margin over Latvala.
The rally’s final stage, the second run through Whaanga Coast, again proved decisive. Ogier spun with just three corners to go while Latvala pushed very hard throughout the 29.67km test to snatch a 2.4 second victory from Ogier. A quick check of WRC history shows that this is the second closest winning margin this decade. The closest ever winning margin was also in New Zealand in 2007 between Loeb and Marcus Gronholm.
Latvala’s victory – his third WRC rally win – makes Ford the most successful manufacturer in WRC history.
Jari Ketomaa won the Super 2000 World Rally Championship class while New Zealander Hayden Paddon was the best of the Production World Rally Championship competitors. Paddon was also the first New Zealander home.
Media Release: Rally NZ 09.05.10
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