Ogier masters muddy Welsh stages
Meeke heads Citroën push in manufacturers' championship battle
Photo special: Latvala's exit
Jari-Matti Latvala hopes to restart Wales Rally GB on Saturday after crashing out on today's second stage.
The Finn was trying to close a 0.8sec gap to leader Sébastien Ogier when he went off, skidding his Volkswagen Polo R into a deep, water-filled ditch 600 metres into the 3.19km Sweet Lamb stage.
"It was a really stupid thing," the Finn acknowledged. "I changed the front-right tyre before the stage and it looks like I didn't get enough heat in it because on the first junction it was locking up. Then on the second it locked again straight away on braking, the engine stalled and after that I couldn't steer the car and I went straight into the ditch.
"The car didn't roll but it almost flipped over. It isn't really damaged, and we would have been able to continue, but the ditch was so deep there was no chance to get it out without a machine."
"Of course I'm disappointed to finish the rally on only the second stage. I'm definitely hoping to rejoin tomorrow and drive these stages. At the very least I want to drive and get the feeling back," he added.
Latvala's early exit means his team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen has a chance of stealing second place in the drivers' championship. If Latvala scores no points this weekend, then Mikkelsen must win the rally and take two points on Sunday's live TV Power Stage to secure the runner-up spot.
