Skip advert
Advertisement
Partnership

Rallye de France: World Rally Championship gallery

Jari-Matti Latvala took victory in the 11th round of the 2014 WRC season, the picturesque Rallye de France

In partnership with

Finnish rally star Jari-Matti Latvala pulled himself closer to World Rally Championship leader Sebastien Ogier with a victory in Rallye de France in his Volkswagen Motorsport Polo WRC.

Latvala set several fastest stage times throughout the rally, while title rival Ogier struggled with a gearbox sensor problem on stage two and a timing error on stage three, which lost the Frenchman eight minutes overall. VW driver Andreas Mikkelsen finished 44.8 seconds behind Latvala to take the second place on the podium, while British ace Kris Meeke brought his Citroen Racing DS3 home in third.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Latvala's victory makes him the first Finn to win an asphalt WRC round since Tommi Mäkinen won the Italian round back in 1999. Speaking to reporters after the event, Latvala credits his victory to tips learned by watching videos of established tarmac ace and nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb.

The result puts the Finn within 27 points of the series leader, with up to 56 points still to claim as the series heads to Spain on October 23 and then Rally GB in mid-November.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

TVR: Why we think it’s all over
TVR Griffith
Opinion

TVR: Why we think it’s all over

There’s barely a flicker of life when it comes to TVR and the ‘new’ Griffith. We can only fear the worst
17 Jul 2025
Save £30k on a new Range Rover and buy a Renault 5 with the savings!
Range Rover
News

Save £30k on a new Range Rover and buy a Renault 5 with the savings!

Discounts on new Range Rovers are so big you could buy a new Renault 5 with the money you save…
15 Jul 2025
​Best hot hatchbacks 2025 – affordable new performance cars
Best hot hatchbacks 2025
Best cars

​Best hot hatchbacks 2025 – affordable new performance cars

Contracted though the hot hatch market may be, there are still some great models out there, from the electric Alpine A290 to the five-cylinder Audi RS…
14 Jul 2025