COLIN CLARK
“Jari-matti Latvala is the most frustrating of characters”
R
ally Australia was once again a fitting end to a remarkable season. Sebastien Ogier taking his sixth championship crown was no forgone conclusion and the hype, anticipation and excitement that preceded the event was entirely justified.
The World Rally Championship is in a good place right now, and yes, it would have been good to see someone other than a Seb winning, but both Thierry Neuville, and in particular Ott Tanak will have their days soon enough I’m sure.
But the one man who might still surprisingly have his day is Jari-matti Latvala. I know we’ve seen false dawns many, many times with Latvala but I genuinely believe that the more mature, less self-critical and far more relaxed Latvala that we saw taking the win in Australia now has all the tools necessary to one day be world champion.
Latvala is the most frustrating of characters. He has the ability to stun everyone with his pace and performance. He is one of only a handful of drivers capable of winning any rally on his day and when it all comes together, it’s truly breathtaking.
But he has also had one of the most prominent self-destruct buttons in the world of rallying and he’s been prone to activate it far too many times in the past.
I’m going to stick my neck out though and say all that is behind the eminently likeable Finn. He’s a different man under the guidance of his boyhood hero Tommi Makinen. He knows his place and he knows that he’s wanted. And more than that, he seems to feel comfortable in himself at long last.
The burden of challenging the French domination of the rally world and becoming the next Finnish rally God was a heavy one to bear for Latvala. He seems to now have accepted that if it happens it happens, and in the meantime he’s going to go out and have some fun. That’s not something he’s always done in the past.
OK, he had a few small stumbles in the first half of this year, but Latvala has rebounded with a remarkable stoicism and his win in Australia means that he has won at least once every year for the past 11 seasons.
Toyota looks set to dominate the WRC in 2019. There’s a lot of talk about Ott Tanak and Kris Meeke challenging for championship honours and I’m absolutely sure they will.
But I’m going to have a quiet few euros on Latvala. Ogier has shown us again this year that winning titles in this sport is as much about experience and intelligence as it is about pace. And if that’s the measure of a future champion then J-ML fits the bill for me.