Loeb was quickest in the superspecial on Thursday night but in the first proper stage he lost the lead to Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala.

CNN: Loeb makes it five from five in Argentina

Latvala came home 29.4 seconds clear of team-mate Mikko Hirvonen as BP Ford claimed a morale-boosting one-two to finally break Citroen's stranglehold on the 2009 season.

CNN: Latvala victory ends Loeb's winning streak

Latvala's win came at the end of a topsy-turvy three days which often saw tactical driving employed at the expense of flat-out pace, particularly over the opening leg.

CNN: Latvala victory ends Loeb's winning streak

"It's been a really good day, " said Latvala.

CNN: Hirvonen slashes Latvala's rally lead

Latvala was on course for third but an electrical problem pegged him back eight minutes this morning and he ended up sixth, behind Henning Solberg in third, fourth-placed Federico Villagra and Matthew Wilson in fifth position.

CNN: Loeb makes it five from five in Argentina

Latvala's lead of almost 40 seconds always looked a fragile one with the Finn expected to lose handfuls of time to his nearest rivals as a result of being the first driver to tackle Sardinia's sand-topped stages.

CNN: Hirvonen slashes Latvala's rally lead

The damage was not as bad as it might have been, however, with Latvala losing just 12 seconds on this morning's stages before Hirvonen turned up the heat in the afternoon to bring the gap down to 9.9 seconds going into Sunday's final leg.

CNN: Hirvonen slashes Latvala's rally lead

The win for Latvala was his second in WRC and signals a turnaround in fortunes for the Finn, whose place in the factory Ford team appeared in jeopardy prior to this event following a string of below-par displays and a massive accident at the fourth round of the season in Portugal.

CNN: Latvala victory ends Loeb's winning streak