Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala has clinched victory at this year’s Rally New Zealand, finishing just 2.4 seconds ahead of Citroen’s Sebastien Ogier.
The Ford Focus RS driver was 6.2 seconds behind Ogier going into the final 29 km Whaanga Coast stage, but managed to edge into first when the young Frenchman spun and stalled his car just three corners from the finish.
It’s the Finn’s first victory since Rally d’Italia-Sardegna almost 12 months ago and puts him in second place in the driver’s standings after five events.
Latvala told reporters: “This is unbelievable. I spoke to [Ford team boss] Malcolm Wilson before the start of the last stage and he just told me to keep going like I had been. I tried not to be too hard at the start in case I made a mistake. At the last split I realised I was 2.7s down so then I did try. But at the end I could not believe it.”
After a mixed set of results so far this season and an inconsistent 2009 championship, Jari-Matti is now showing why he is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the sport, much to the delight of his Team Boss, Malcolm Wilson:
“The consistency of his stage times is what's pleased me most. We know he's capable of doing stunning stage times, but then sometimes he might be 10 seconds off the pace. This year we're not seeing that because he's far more consistent. More than that, he's been a lot easier on the car. The whole package is completely different to where we were 12 months ago.”
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