Latvala takes the lead on Friday’s opener

Jari-Matti Latvala moved into the lead of Wales Rally GB this morning after going fastest though Friday’s opening stage - the 31.99km Hafren.

After Thursday night’s stormy Superspecial, the action began in earnest at 0600hrs today when drivers left Cardiff for the long journey north into the forests of mid-Wales.

Conditions were damp and windy as crews tackled the Hafren section, with many adopting a cautious approach on a tricky road that featured a mixed gravel and mud surface.

Running third in Friday’s running order, Latvala got his Focus to the finish in 18min 43.2sec, 1.2 seconds quicker than his closest rival, Citroen privateer Petter Solberg. “It was quite a good start, the grip was better than I had expected actually,” said Latvala. “It’s really muddy though, and there is a lot of loose ground,”

Overnight leader Sebastien Loeb dropped behind Petter into third place. “I made a good start but later on I made a few mistakes and had some moments. After that I was more cautious - and a bit slow at the end.”

Stobart Ford driver Matthew Wilson lost around 15 seconds after spinning his Ford Focus and stalling its engine.