Fiesta for Latvala in final rally

Finnish driver Jari-Matti Latvala won the final rally of the season, the Wales Rally GB, here on Sunday for his fifth career win but first since his home rally in 2010. The 26-year-old led home a Ford Fiesta 1-2-3 after Citroen's newly-crowned champion Sebastien Loeb exited the contest after an accident between the 18th and 19th stages. Latvala finished more than four minutes ahead of Norwegian duo Mads Ostberg and Henning Solberg. Loeb was forced out when his car collided head on with a car driven by a Spanish spectator, a friend of Danio Sordo, while making his way to the start of the 19th special stage. Both he and co-driver Daniel Elena as well as the driver and passenger in the other car escaped unscathed but the Citroen was incapable of further action. The 37-year-old - crowned world champion for the eighth time on Friday when nearest rival Mikko Hirvonen crashed out - was lying in second overall just over seven seconds adrift of Latvala. "The radiator was damaged but we are going to try and repair the car so that it can mount the podium in Cardiff," said a Citroen spokesperson. Latvala's victory was a welcome respite for Ford, who have yet to decide whether they continue in the championship next year after just three wins this term. The win was also Latvala's first in 18 months and he said: "The whole year I have been waiting for a victory. It has been a long long time. "It's a great feeling, there have been very stressful and frustrating times. This is one of my great victories."