SS7: Latvala fastest on Friday’s final stage

Finland’s Jari-Matti Latvala has boosted his hopes of a podium finish on Rally Sweden by winning Friday’s final stage in his factory Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Held in ambient temperatures of minus 13 degrees centigrade, there were reports of exposed gravel patches on the road, which helped those drivers running closer to the front of the field.

However, world champion Sebastien Loeb was unable to take advantage of the worsening stage conditions after he completed the cross-border test with a front-left puncture, which he’d nursed for the closing 15 kilometres of the 19.26-kilometre test.

It cost the Frenchman more than one minute and means he will start day two of the event 2m48.4s adrift of overnight leader Mads Ostberg. “I don’t know why it happened because I was in the middle of the road,” said Loeb. “I did not touch anything but I had to do 15 kilometres like that.”

Rally leader Ostberg struggled through the stage when his Fiesta’s lightpod became detached over a dip and he struggled for sight. Petter Solberg had vision problems of his own when his Citroen DS3 WRC’s windscreen misted up midway through the stage and made it difficult for the Norwegian to see. However, he still managed to set the second fastest time through the stage to maintain third place overall, 12.6s ahead of Latvala.

Ostberg’s woe means his advantage up front has now been trimmed to 14.8s over works Ford pilot Mikko Hirvonen, who was third fastest through the stage.

Standings after SS7: