After a sensational drive in difficult conditions, Latvala finished the event 58sec ahead of his Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen who was second.
Latvala, aged just 22, becomes the youngest driver ever to win a WRC rally, a record previously held by the late Henri Toivonen, who was 24 years old when he won the 1980 RAC Rally.
At the finish an emotional Latvala danced on the roof of his Focus WRC: Its a super feeling! Its almost unbelievable!” said Latvala. “Henri [Toivonen] was one of my idols and secretly Ive always wanted to beat his record as the youngest winner.
"The rally started so well from the first stage. Weve made no mistakes, the car has been absolutely perfect and Ive been able to control the speed - Im really happy about that. I feel very comfortable now, this result has given me a lot of self confidence and Im really looking forward to Mexico," he added.
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