As drivers with something to prove,
Jari-Matti Latvala and
Francois Duval's retirement from the Rally New Zealand could probably not have come at a worse time.
Latvala has been under pressure to perform recently after retirements in Finland and Germany, but despite showing front-running pace, he made it a trio of non-finishes after clipping a rock on the penultimate stage and terminally damaging his Focus.
Although Latvala had been enjoying a strong rally up to that point and was looking set for a second place finish behind team-mate
Mikko Hirvonen, his failure to finish marks a disaster for the Ford team as their bid to beat
Citroen in the manufacturers' standings took a potentially decisive knock.
Naturally, Latvala was disappointed to lose out on a large haul of points so close to the finish, but he insists he is prepared to pick himself up and re-motivate himself for the remainder of the season.
"I approached a long left bend where the later cars in the first pass had created a narrow line. I lost grip at the rear and the car went sideways. I floored the throttle to try to straighten up, but it turned and I went into the inside of the corner. I hit a bank, which had a rock buried in the sand, and the impact broke the radiator and the cooler.
“I knew straight away that it was over because the oil temperature and water warning lights came on. I'm disappointed because I lost points for myself and the team. I was going so well and was pleased with my driving here so I thought I could finish second. It's a bad feeling but after my problems in Germany, I've learned that I have to pick myself up and carry on."
Ironically enough, Latvala was joined on the sidelines by Duval ahead of their seat-swapping antics for Spain and Corsica when the Belgian gets bumped up to the works team and Latvala pilots the satellite
Stobart Focus.
