Latvala triumphs in Rally of Great Britain

Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala of Ford won the Rally of Great Britain, the 10th leg of the World Rally Championship, ahead of France’s Sebastien Loeb in Cardiff on Sunday. Also victorious in last year’s race, Latvala led practically from the start to finish 27.8sec ahead of championship leader and eight-time world champion Loeb, with Latvala’s Norwegian team-mate Petter Solberg a further 0.9sec back in third place. The result prevented Citroen from claiming victory in the constructors’ championship, but both Citroen and Loeb will expect to be crowned champions at the Rally of France in Alsace on October 4-7. Despite a late fightback on Sunday, Loeb was unable to undo the damage inflicted during the first two days of the race, when Ford proved more adept at handling the slippery roads in the south Wales countryside. He did, however, succeed in overhauling Solberg, who began the day more than six seconds in front of him.