Jari-Matti Latvala is set to become Sebastien Ogier’s teammate after signing for Volkswagen Motorsport. The Finn will be driving the Polo R WRC starting next January in Rally Monte Carlo.
Following his five year with Ford, Latvala will be moving to the German team after Ford announced its withdrawal from the championship two days ago. This makes Volkswagen’s lineup the strongest for 2013.
Latvala said: “I’m very happy to be driving the Polo R WRC in the World Rally Championship in future. The determined approach of the Volkswagen team convinced me to accept this challenge.”
“The time at Ford was very valuable for me and I would like to thank everyone who supported me there in the past years – it wasn’t easy for me to say goodbye. At the same time, I see the change as a personal new beginning. I’ve taken this decision in order to make another step towards reaching my big aim: the world champion’s title with Volkswagen.”
Latvala has won seven rallies so far, while his best championship result was runner-up to Sebastien Loeb in the 2010 season.