Jari-Matti Latvala extends Rally Finland lead with superb second day

The Volkswagen driver held the overnight lead from the opening day and extended that advantage to 19.7 seconds at the halfway point by claiming victory in all but four stages in his homeland.

Latvala's team-mate and defending champion Sebastien Ogier won three stages as the Frenchman looks to continue his push towards a second successive title.

Ogier's efforts have left him 21.3secs adrift of Latvala in third, just behind Briton Kris Meeke, who took the spoils on stage seven for the Citroen team.

But the plaudits will rightly go to Latvala after a performance that puts him in pole position to secure his second Rally Finland success following triumph in 2010.

"We pushed hard and took some really big risks," Latvala told the World Rally Championship's official website.

"I felt relaxed and had a good feeling, and when I'm relaxed I normally do my best performance."

Another Volkswagen driver Andreas Mikkelsen sits in fourth, with his Norwegian compatriot Mads Ostberg (Citroen) rounding off the top five ahead of Finn Mikko Hirvonen (M-Sport).