Intro:

Jari-Matti Latvala held the lead after the fifth and sixth stages of the World Rally Championship's Rally Finland on Friday (1 August).

Script:

Following reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier's victories in the third and fourth stages, Jari-Matti Latvala reasserted himself at the start of the second day of the Rally Finland as he looked to re-establish local dominance of the event.

A combined time of 46 minutes 56.1 seconds after six stages earned Latvala a 6.1-second advantage over his French Volkswagen teammate, extending his lead by 1.5 seconds from the end of the fourth stage.

Latvala's driving also marked Volkwagen's 250th stage win in the Polo R.

Fellow Finn Juho Hanninen dropped from fourth to eighth when he rolled his Hyundai, losing a minute off the pace but escaping with his vehicle virtually intact.

Also in the sixth stage, Great Britain's Kris Meeke was poised to upset Latvala with a win but ended up 2.1 seconds behind when he slid wide on a long bend.

Historically, Rally Finland has been regarded as an almost certain win for Finnish racers, but local competitors lost out to Ogier in 2013 and his compatriot Sebastien Loeb in the two years prior.

Latvala was the last Finn to take the top step at the podium in 2010.