JYVASKYLA // Five weeks can be a long time in any sport and it has proved to be that way for Jari-Matti Latvala as he has gone from the worst point in his career to one of the highest in that time.
At the end of June the Finn was at his lowest ebb after the special stage that concluded Rally Poland. A humiliating crash saw him throw away the second place and the chance for his BP Ford Abu Dhabi team to claim a third successive one-two finish.
Despite claiming a superb victory in Sardinia back in May, it has been an inconsistent season for the Finn, great performances and stage times followed up by costly mistakes.
But Latvala bounced back from his Polish disaster with a mature drive to third place in the Rally Finland - his best result in his home event - and he believes that he has become a better driver as a consequence of learning from his crashes.
"I think I have grown up mentally in the last few weeks," he said.
"I spent a lot of time thinking between Poland and coming here, and I changed my preparations and approach for the rally and was more tactical in my approach, taking it carefully on the first day.
"It was very important for myself and the team to get a good result and I was able to do it."
Some pressure on Latvala had been removed in midweek with the announcement he had been retained by BP Ford Abu Dhabi for the next two seasons, but he was desperate to repay his team's faith and that of team director Malcolm Wilson with a strong result.
"Fourth would have been an OK result, but I knew the team were hoping for a top three finish and I didn't want to let them down and I am glad I achieved the target," he said.
Wilson, himself, acknowledged that Latvala had been under the microscope following his crash in the previous round, but had been more than impressed with how his driver had handled the situation.
"There was no other driver under as much pressure as Jari-Matti going into this rally," he said.
"But he dealt with it well all weekend and delivered a fantastic drive and hopefully he can continue his progress from here."
While his teammate Mikko Hirvonen took the main plaudits with the victory, Latvala was more than happy with his weekend's work, which he hopes will set him up for a strong end to the season.
It had not been an easy event for him as food poisoning had left him feeling low on the Saturday, but once he felt well again he was the fastest man for much of the rest of the rally as he usurped Dani Sordo's Citroen for third.
"It was tough when I was not feeling well," he said. "But once I felt good I was able to really push and I think you could see that in my stage times. I was enjoying driving those stages and I was thinking 'I can still do this'.
"Third place here on my home rally is very special and it will give me a lot of confidence to push on for the final rallies of the season."
gcaygill@thenational.ae
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
The Internet
Hive Mind
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
