Swede success for Latvala
Ford driver holds off Hirvonen despite puncture on final day
Last Updated: February 12, 2012 4:49pm
Jari-Matti Latvala (R): Secured second win in Rally Sweden
Jari-Matti Latvala completed victory in Rally Sweden despite suffering a puncture on the final day of the event.
The Ford driver, who led throughout the rally, finished 16.6 seconds clear of fellow Finn Mikko Hirvonen, with Norway's Mads Ostberg taking third position ahead of Petter Solberg.
Latvala suffered his puncture three stages from home when he hit a rock, with the mishap trimming his advantage significantly. But he had built a fairly comfortable back up by the end of the day.
Reigning world champion Sebastien Loeb's eventful rally continued as a spin and a puncture left him well down in sixth place, with Evgeny Novikov ahead of him in fifth place.
"It is amazing. Four years ago I won this rally and now I got it again," Latvala said after his victory.
"The first time I won this rally I became the youngest ever winner of a world championship rally and beat my hero Henri Toivonen's record. It's fantastic to win it again.
"We got a lot of pressure after Monte Carlo and I felt the pressure coming to this event. This has taken a lot of pressure out of the coming events.
"I think we're really going to challenge Citroen. We're working very hard."
Hirvonen added: "It's not too bad. I think we learned a lot this weekend.
"Okay, I really did want to win this rally for the team but Jari-Matti was very strong this weekend. We had a fantastic fight and I really enjoyed it, but it's second this time."
Loeb remains on top of the World Rally Championship standings with two rounds of the season completed. Hirvonen is second ahead of Solberg with latvala, who did not score at the opening round of the year in Monte Carlo, fourth.
