WRC 2015: Latvala wins Rally France for the second time

Volkswagen's Jari-Matti Latvala won the 2015 Rally France for the second time in a row. Latvala, driving a Volkswagen Polo R, finished 43.1 seconds ahead of M-Sport's Elfyn Evans who was onboard a Ford Fiesta RS. Andreas Mikkelsen finished third in another Polo R.

Latvala was able to overcome the harsh weather condition during the event. Of note, torrential rain forced the cancellation of two of the nine special stages. According to the organizers, the twisty and narrow asphalt mountain roads were “treacherously slimy.”

“We’ve not had to push to the maximum at any point, but it was a faultless drive in difficult conditions. After winning last year, I have now done it again in Corsica and it’s important for me to show I can be competitive on all surfaces,” said Latvala.

Citroen's Kris Meeke finished in fourth as he managed to keep his DS 3 rally car ahead of Hyundai's Hayden Paddon. Mads Ostberg wasn't able to defend his position as Paddon demoted him during the penultimate stage.

Dani Sordo finished in seventh onboard a Hyundai i20 WRC car. Sordo gained four places to finish seventh while Bryan Bouffier, Stéphane Sarrazin and Ott Tänak completed the top ten drivers.

Robert Kubica claimed two bonus points after finishing in the live power stage. On the other hand, Sebastien Ogier was hampered by a 10-minute penalty after he failed to finish Friday's leg but won Sunday's final power stage. In addition, Volkswagen Motorsport has been fined 10,000 euros by officials at Tour De Corse after Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia failed to follow a WRC safety procedure on Friday.

As a review, Volkswagen have already secured both the manufacturers' and drivers' titles with Ogier's win during Rally Australia.