Latvala to test Fiesta next week

Injured Ford World Rally Team star Jari-Matti Latvala will be back behind the wheel of a Fiesta RS WRC next week.

Latvala, out of action since breaking his left collarbone when he fell while cross-country skiing in his native Finland on April 11, will join team-mate Petter Solberg for a test in Sardinia in preparation for the Acropolis Rally, round six of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

He is expected to drive for two days on the Mediterranean island as he continues his bid to regain full fitness ahead of the Loutraki-based gravel encounter.

Speaking to Autosport magazine in the United Kingdom, Ford team chief Malcolm Wilson said: “It’ll be great to get Jari back in the car. He’s had some padding made to go over the area where he broke his collarbone, but he hasn’t been feeling any pain since two days after the accident. We’re 99.9 per cent certain he will be competing with us in Greece.”

Latvala’s injury forced him to miss last month’s Philips Rally Argentina. The 27-year-old is confident he will be recovered sufficiently to compete on the Acropolis Rally. He plans to drive some of his own rally cars prior to the test in Sardinia.

“I am 90 per cent recovered and ahead of schedule,” Latvala told Autosport. “I am confident for Greece.”