WRC news

By James Disdale

14th February 2008

It was a record-breaking Swedish Rally for Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala, as the 22-year-old Ford Focus driver became the youngest ever to win a world championship event.

In only his second outing in the factory-backed car, Latvala produced a dominant performance that saw him finish nearly one minute ahead of team-mate and fellow countryman Mikko Hirvonen. There was further success for the blue oval, as the final podium place was netted by Italian star Gigi Galli in a Stobart Focus.

However, the top three’s task was made easier after a rare mistake from reigning champion Sebastien Loeb. During the fourth stage of the event, the Frenchman rolled his Citroen C4 after clipping a snow bank.

Although Loeb managed to get the car to the end of the stage, he was forced to retire shortly after the first service with clutch problems. Team-mate Dani Sordo had a less eventful run, securing a best-ever sixth place and picking up some valuable manufacturer points for Citroen.

There were mixed fortunes for Subaru. Team leader Petter Solberg cruised effortlessly to fourth place after his nearest challenger – his brother Henning – crashed his Ford Focus on the second day. Chris Atkin­son endured a more turbulent event after a mistake dropped him to the bottom of the time sheets on the first day. A determined fight saw him claw back to 21st position.

Suzuki brought its new SX4 WRC home in the points for the second round in succession, with Finn Toni Gardemeister finishing in a trouble-free seventh place. Per-Gunnar Andersson had a frustrating rally after he was forced to withdraw on day one with engine trouble. British hopes were dashed after Matthew Wilson’s promising run came to an abrupt halt on the penultimate stage of the rally. The 21-year-old was in fifth when a problem with the throttle caused his Ford Focus to grind to a halt.

But despite this failure, Ford filled four of the top five positions. And there was no doubt that Latvala was the star of the show. Speaking after the event, he could barely contain his excitement: “It’s a super feeling!” he said. “The rally started well from the first stage.

“We’ve made no mistakes, the car has been perfect and I’ve been able to control my speed – I’m really happy. I feel very comfortable now. This result has given me a lot of confidence.”

The result leaves Latvala tied with Loeb in second place in the standings, on 10 points, with Hirvonen leading the way on 16 points. Next stop for the WRC is South America, with Rally Mexico starting on 28 February.