Jari-Matti Latvala and Janni Hussi claim dominant rally victory in stunning fashion

Latvala was in a class of his own at the Rally Costa Brava. The Finnish veteran, alongside his co-driver Janni Hussi, was the fastest on every single one of the rally’s 11 special stages.

His winning margin was nearly four minutes ahead of Frenchman Romain Dumas.

This was the fifth time Latvala and Hussi had competed together, and it marked their first major rally victory as a duo.

Latvala, who currently works as Toyota’s part-time team principal, enjoyed a perfect start to his European Championship campaign.

His goal is to chase the championship title, even though he will not be contesting every round. However, missing some events does not necessarily hinder his title ambitions, as not all results are counted towards the final standings.

The Rally Costa Brava took place on tarmac roads near Girona, in the same region where Rally Catalonia was held as a WRC event about 20 years ago.

Latvala’s Toyota Celica ST185 performed almost flawlessly throughout the weekend. The rally began in rainy conditions, but the Finnish star mastered the tricky weather without any major issues.

The next round of the European Historic Rally Championship will be held in the Czech Republic at the end of April. At the same time, the WRC event of the Canary Islands will be taking place, meaning Latvala will skip his duties as Toyota’s team principal.

Latvala will also not be acting as Toyota’s team principal at next week’s Safari Rally in Kenya. Instead, Juha Kankkunen will take on the role. Kankkunen, whose official title at Toyota is deputy team principal, will oversee the team’s operations in Africa.

Rally Costa Brava, results after SS11/11: