Motorsport: Latvala wins Rally NZ

Finn Jari-Matti Latvala slipped through on the final Rally NZ stage to win the event. Photo / Getty Images

Finn Jari-Matti Latvala experienced a sweet reversal of fortunes today when he claimed the Rally New Zealand title on an incident-packed final day.

Latvala made up for his heartbreak at the last Rally NZ with victory by just 2.4sec over Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, whose hopes of a maiden WRC success evaporated with a mistake just out from the finish line.

Latvala admitted he had a bit of luck with Ogier's mishap, but said it was the most satisfying of his three career wins.

"I really went fast and towards the end I was almost off the road myself," he said.

"I thought it was going to be too little but at the end it was enough. We were a little bit lucky but it feels really good."

Six-time world champion Sebastien Loeb, who had provided most of the drama during the three-day event, was third, at 15.2s down.

Finn Mikko Hirvonen was fourth, 21.3s behind his compatriot and BP Ford team-mate.

The last time the New Zealand round was held two years ago, it was Latvala and Hirvonen who suffered agony on the final day.

On the penultimate stage, Hirvonen spun when leading the rally and his mistake made Latvala the frontrunner.

But Latvala then hit a rock and spun as well, and the damage to his vehicle ended his participation and handed victory to Loeb.

Today, it was the Frenchman's Citroen Total team that was left ruing what might have been.

Ogier had gone into the final test on the iconic 30km Whaanga Coast leg with a 6.2s advantage over Latvala, only to spin into a ditch, and open the door for Latvala.

"It was so close," Ogier said.

"I did a spin three corners before the end. It's a big shame."

Loeb, meanwhile, had appeared on course to complete a spectacular comeback after crashing into a Northland bridge on Friday morning, when he lost 80sec to be 1min 40s off the pace.

After the crash, he made a stirring charge up the leaderboard that left him just 5.3s behind Ogier by last night.

After today's first test, he had jumped into the lead, but then another mistake on the first run through Whaanga Coast stymied his challenge, leaving him with 21.7s to catch up and only two stages left.

It was a margin that was beyond even the most successful driver in rally history.

Loeb, chasing his fourth win of 2010 and his third Rally NZ victory, said he made his mistake on a sweeping right-hand turn.

"I started to understeer on the gravel and I lost the car," he said.

"I hit some bushes with the rear and put the front in and then I hit a tree. The main problem was I was there for maybe 30 seconds."

He did make up ground on the penultimate stage, but spun late on the final stage to lose more time.

Loeb retains a comfortable buffer at the top of the championship ladder, with 108 points, while Latvala has improved to second to 72.

Hirvonen remains third with 64, one point ahead of Ogier.

The top New Zealand finisher was Hayden Paddon, who was 15min 19.0sec behind the winning time, putting him 14th overall, one place ahead of Chris West.

Paddon also led a New Zealand one-two-three in the Production World Rally Championship category, with Emma Gilmour (17th overall) and Kingley Thompson (20th) occupying the other podium spots.

Results
1. Jari-Matti Latvala, Finland, Ford, 4 hours, 04 minutes, 09.8 seconds.
2. Sebastien Ogier, France, Citroen, 4:04:12.2.
3. Sebastien Loeb, France, Citroen, 4:04.25.0.
4. Mikko Hirvonen, Finland, Ford, 4:04:31.1.
5. Dani Sordo, Spain, Citroen, 4:04:35.6.
6. Matthew Wilson, Britain, Ford, 4:07:35.8.
7. Henning Solberg, Norway, Ford, 4:10:25.1.
8. Jari Ketomaa, Finland, Ford, 4:14:29.1.
9. Federico Villagra, Argentina, Ford, 4:14.59.6.
10. Xavier Pons, Spain, Ford, 4:15:23.2.

WRC Driver standings
(After five of 13 rounds)

1. Sebastien Loeb, France, Citroen, 108 points.
2. Jari-Matti Latvala, Finland, Ford, 72.
3. Mikko Hirvonen, Finland, Ford, 64.
4. Sebastien Ogier, France, Citroen, 63.
5. Petter Solberg, Norway, Citroen, 53.
6. Dani Sordo, Spain, Citroen, 34.
7. Matthew Wilson, Britain, Ford, 30.
8. Henning Solberg, Norway, Ford, 24.
9. Federico Villagra, Argentina, Ford, 22.
10. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Citroen, 14.

- NZPA