Karlstad, Sweden - Jari-Matti Latvala won his third Rally of Sweden on Saturday with the victory taking him to the top of the World Rally Championship standings.
The Finnish Volkswagen driver secured his second win for the team by 53.6 seconds, with team mate Andreas Mikkelsen finishing second and his fellow Norwegian Mads Ostberg, driving for Citroen, third.
It was Mikkelsen's first World Rally Championship podium; he had briefly threatened Latvala's slender lead from the previous day before sliding into a snowbank and losing 20 seconds in the morning.
Reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier of France recovered from a crash on Friday to finish sixth.
Latvala, the winner in Sweden in 2008 and 2012, said at the finish: “It's my third win here and I've never won the same rally three times. It feels amazing to win here, it's something very, very special.
“It's a long time since my win in Greece last year. That was more about tactics and saving the car, but this is a high-speed event so it gives me confidence that I can also win high-speed rallies. I really needed a good result here.” - Reuters
RESULTS
1 Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) Volkswagen - 3hrs 00min31.1
2 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) Volkswagen +53.6sec
3 Mads Ostberg (Norway) Citroen +59.5
4 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Ford +2min26.9
5 Ott Taenak (Estonia) Ford +3min00.5
6 Sebastien Ogier (France) Volkswagen +4min29.9
7 Henning Solberg (Norway) Ford +4min47.5
8 Pontus Tidemand (Sweden) Ford +5min38.2
9 Craig Breen (Ireland) Ford +8min55.4
10 Kris Meeke (Britain) Citroen +11min18.0
Driver standings after the Rally of Sweden
1 Jari-Matti Latvala (Finland) Volkswagen - 40 points
2 Sebastien Ogier (France) Volkswagen Motorsport - 35
3 Mads Ostberg (Norway) Citroen - 30
4 Andreas Mikkelsen (Norway) Volkswagen - 24
5 Bryan Bouffier (France) Ford - 18
6 Kris Meeke (Britain) Citroen - 17
7 Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) Ford - 13
8 Ott Taenak (Estonia) Ford - 10
9 Elfyn Evans (Britain) Ford - 8
10 Henning Solberg (Norway) Ford - 6
11 Jaroslav Melicharek (Slovakia) Slovakia World Rally Team - 4
12 Pontus Tidemand (Sweden) Ford - 4
13 Matteo Gamba (Italy) Matteo Gamba - 2
14 Craig Breen (Ireland) Ford - 2
15 Yuriy Protasov (Ukraine) Yuriy Protasov - 1
Constructors
1 Volkswagen Motorsport - 72 points
2 Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team - 56
3 Volkswagen Motorsport II - 26
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team - 22
5 Hyundai Motorsport - 8
6 RK M-Sport Ford World Rally Team - 4