Latvala wins rally of Italy, Loeb fourth

CAGLIARI, Italy (Reuters) - Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala won the Rally of Italy on Sunday while world champion Sebastien Loeb was relegated from third to fourth after receiving a two-minute penalty for breaching safety rules.

Latvala triumphed after the Ford team decided against ordering him to let second-placed team mate Mikko Hirvonen take maximum points.

A win for Hirvonen in Sardinia could have made a bigger dent on championship leader Loeb's advantage but Latvala, who beat compatriot Hirvonen by 29.4 seconds after the three-day rally, was allowed to seal the second victory of his career.

The 24-year-old, who led from start to finish on the gravel roads, became the youngest winner of a world championship race at the Rally of Sweden last year.

"It's such a relief," he told the world rally website (www.wrc.com). "I want to say thanks to the team...for letting me do this."

Latvala went out first on Sunday's opening stage and managed to extend his lead because Hirvonen and other drivers were hampered by dust swirls which affected visibility.

"I lost my chance this morning. That's where I should have been quicker," Hirvonen said.

France's Loeb, bidding for a sixth straight world title, finished third initially having won the previous five rallies this season.

However, he was later pushed down to fourth after an International Automobile Federation (FIA) investigation ruled his co-driver Daniel Elena had unfastened his seatbelt while the car was moving as they prepared for a tyre change on Saturday.