Jari-Matti Latvala triumphs as Loeb breaks into top five

RSL Staff

– September 18, 2012Posted in: News, WRC

Jari-Matti Latvala finally halted a run of five consecutive victories for Sebastien Loeb with a dominant victory in Rally GB.

Loeb though managed to deny a Ford 1-2 by finishing second, and in doing so break into the Castrol EDGE Rankings top five for the first time in 12 months.

Loeb has been on the verge of his advance since Rally New Zealand, when he claimed his fifth win of the year.

As his form improved – in 2011 he claimed five wins across the season – the form of those above him moved in the opposite direction, affected by more unpredictable and varied racing in F1.

Given Mark Webber’s slump to fifth following the Italian Grand Prix, from which the Australian was a late retirement, it appeared inevitable Loeb would gain at least one spot, and so it proved.

Should Loeb have won he would also have jumped Jenson Button but fourth, but he ultimately had no answer to Latvala’s pace.

Victory also provided a Rankings boost for the 27-year-old Finn, who moved up three spots to a 12-month high of 16th.

As Latvala and Loeb therefore made gains, their respective team-mates both slipped down the order.

Ford’s Petter Solberg counted the cost of his 0.9s deficit to Loeb as he fell one place to 49th in the Rankings.

Mikko Hirvonen meanwhile fared far worse. Victories in Australia last year, the round dropped under the rollover system, his losses were compounded by a disappointing display in Rally GB in which he could only finish fifth.