Injured Latvala recovering well

Jari-Matti Latvala says he is on target to return to the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia on the sixth round in Greece next month.

Latvala has been forced to miss Philips Rally Argentina after he broke his left collarbone cross-country skiing in his native Finland as part of his rigorous fitness programme.

“The recovery is going really well and the progress is good,” Latvala told WRC Live’s Becs Williams. “The sling I was using is away and now I can use my arm normally. I can’t lift any heavy objects and have to be careful for that but 90 per cent of the movement is back so I am ahead of schedule to recover.

“I can’t run at the moment because it gives a shaking effect for the bones. But I can start running at the end of next week. Before that I can go on the bicycle inside. I am confident I will be able to drive in Greece.”

Latvala said he was following the battle unfold in Argentina by listening to WRC Live through WRC.com. He revealed that he sent an SMS message to his Ford team-mate Petter Solberg encouraging him to hit back from his retirement on day one.