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Generally regarded as the fastest WRC rally driver, who has at times shown astonishing speed, Finn Jari-Matti Latvala sometimes struggles to keep the car on the road. His last outing in Germany didn't quite play out as he anticipated.
"I was disappointed with my performance in Germany," said Latvala. "Everything was looking good after Friday and I was more comfortable on tarmac than I have been before. But unfortunately on Saturday I made a mistake [rolled on SS15]. Okay we finished the rally but we were ninth."
Putting the disappointment of Germany behind him, Latvala is keen to get back on the dirt and in particular back to New Zealand. He is a former winner on the Kiwi roads taking out the Production World Rally Championship (P-WRC) round in 2006 and finishing fifth last year.
"I like the New Zealand rally a lot, it's one of the best in the championship," said Latvala. "I really want to get back on gravel and get my confidence back and I have good memories from there. The cambered roads allow more speed to be carried through the bends. There has been a lot of rain so an early start position is a benefit. Wet roads mean there will be no loose gravel on top which makes it really slippery for the others down the start list."
Latvala started driving when he was 8-years-old and by 17 had entered his first world rally event at the 2002 Rally of Great Britain, where he finished 17th. The next year he competed in four events and moved to the Junior World Rally championships. By 2006 he was almost doing a full season in the P-WRC, moving to the main game in 2007 with Sobart M-Sport competing in a Ford. With the retirement of Marcus Gronholm, Mikko Hirvonen moved up to be the number one driver and the Ford factory team snapped up the young hot-shot this year.
At the first event this year in Mexico, Latvala was the fastest on the first two stages and led the event at the end of the first day, pulling away from defending world champion Sebastien Loeb. Unfortunately, a lunched turbo on day two put paid to the young Finn's rally.
The 23-year-old BP Ford driver admits he's grown up and developed a lot as a person, and a driver, over the past few years and is learning to back off a bit and not drive on the limit all the time.
"You have to always learn what makes you go fast and always improve in your driving," said Latvala. "I have changed a lot over the past and have gained more confidence. I have the same passion for rally but the more experience you get, the better planned you can be and be more than just a rally driver.
"I have learned a lot more about the handling and set-ups of the cars as well and I've got faster but I need more work on the Tarmac. My style has changed over the years from the old, very sideways driving to the more modern straight-line driving that the modern cars are designed for."
Winning in Sweden earlier this year, Latvala became the youngest driver (22 at the time) in the history of the championship to win a WRC event when he finished 58.3 seconds in front of his teammate Mikko Hirvonen. His victory in the second round of the series eclipsed that of another Finn, the late Henri Toivonen, who won the 1980 RAC Rally at 24.
"I beat Henri Toivonen's record and I was a big fan of his," said Latvala. "I couldn't have dreamed I could win on only my second event in a works team."
Latvala's teammate Hirvonen is second in the chase for the title while he's in fourth, six points behind Aussie Chris Atkinson. Realistically only two drivers can win the title as Loeb and Hirvonen are 30-odd points ahead of Sordo and the rest of the pack.
"I would like to finish the season basically in the top three. I know I can't catch first or second and that's fine. But to be in third would be really great at the end of the year.
"Of course I will help Mikko to the title but I also have to think about myself and my results. But on the other hand if the situation happens and I get a chance to help Mikko I will help if he is close to winning the title at the end of the season."
With a population less than New Zealand, Finland, per head of population, produces more world-class drivers, both rally and track, than just about any other country. There must be something in the water or else it's a long way between houses.
"You can do a lot of driving when you are young and so you get a lot of experience very early both on the gravel and in your car. Basically there are a lot of fast dirt roads," said Latvala.
