Latvala-Anttila claim their third Rally Sweden victory: WRC

Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila claimed their third Rally Sweden victory today, taking the win by 53.6 seconds over Volkswagen team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula. Third position was taken by the Citroën DS3 crew of Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson.

In the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers, Latvala’s victory and additional points in the Power Stage see the Finn head the leaderboard, five points ahead of team-mate and reigning World Champion Sébastien Ogier. Mads Østberg rounds off the top three, another five points adrift. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, wins in Monte-Carlo and Sweden put Volkswagen Motorsport in the lead, the German marque 16 points ahead of the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Today’s final day of competition took in two identical loops of four stages covering 142.16 competitive kilometres. The rally was rounded off with the televised Power Stage, in which all-important points are awarded to the fastest three drivers through this single stage. Here, Østberg, Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen collected the extra points. Latvala started the day in control of the field and a clean sweep of fastest times in the opening loop helped the Finn extend his advantage. This afternoon he was able to control the field to notch up his first WRC victory since Greece last year. Mikkelsen has driven a fine event, the Norwegian always in the frame for his first-ever WRC victory. Today he went off in the second stage and damaged the suspension, but otherwise escaped unscathed to secure his maiden WRC podium. Mads Østberg won two of this afternoon’s stage and finished a deserved third overall.

Mikko Hirvonen finished a more distant fourth, just over 30 seconds ahead of Ott Tanak in a similar Fiesta RS WRC. After going off the road yesterday, Sébastien Ogier managed to climb up to sixth, overhauling reigning Junior WRC Champion Pontus Tidemand and Henning Solberg. Craig Breen finished ninth and Kris Meeke 10th after losing time stuck in a snow bank this morning. Robert Kubica endured a difficult rally and went off again today; he nevertheless gained valuable experience of all the stages and finished 24th overall.

The FIA World Rally Championship contenders now head across the Atlantic for the first full gravel event of the season, Rally Guanajuato Mexico (6-9 March).

Rally Sweden – Final Unofficial Results (subject to scrutineering)

1. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
2. Andreas Mikkelsen/Mikko Markkula
3. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson
4. Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen
5. Ott Tanak/Raigo Molder
6. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
7. Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor
8. Pontus Tidemand/Ola Fløene
9. Craig Breen/Scott Martin
10. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle
Volkswagen Polo R WRC
Volkswagen Polo R WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Volkswagen Polo R WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Ford Fiesta RS WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
3hr 00min 31.1sec
3hr 01min 24.7sec
3hr 01min 30.6sec
3hr 02min 58.0sec
3hr 03min 31.6sec
3hr 05min 01.0sec
3hr 05min 18.6sec
3hr 06min 09.3sec
3hr 09min 26.5sec
3hr 11min 49.1sec
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (after 2 of 13 rounds)

Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN)
Sébastien Ogier (FRA)
Mads Østberg (NOR)
Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR)
Bryan Bouffier (FRA)
Kris Meeke (GBR)
Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)
Ott Tanak (EST)
Elfyn Evans (GBR)
Henning Solberg
Jaroslav Melicharek (SVK)
Pontus Tidemand (SWE)
Matteo Gamba (ITA)
Craig Breen (IRL)
Yuriy Protasov (UKR)
40 points
35 points
30 points
24 points
18 points
17 points
13 points
10 points
8 points
6 points
4 points
4 points
2 points
2 points
1 point

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (after 2 of 13 rounds)

Volkswagen Motorsport
Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Volkswagen Motorsport II
M-Sport World Rally Team
Hyundai Motorsport
RK M-Sport World Rally Team
72 points
56 points
26 points
22 points
8 points
4 points