Jari-Matti Latvala finally broke his duck in an asphalt race by topping the podium at the Rallye de France in Alsace.
The Finn had never triumphed on tarmac in nearly 12 years of racing, with his previous 11 victories coming on gravel or snow, although he came close in Germany in August before crashing out while in the lead on the final morning.
He made no mistake this time around, though, winning by a margin of 44.8 seconds in his Volkswagen Polo R.
"I was pretty nervous this morning after my mistake in Germany. I had to take that lesson and without that experience I wouldn't have been able to be as strong today and have belief in myself," he said on www.wrc.com.
"I've been waiting a long time to win on asphalt and done a lot of work for that and now it has finally come. I've been able to take some big steps this year and this is one of the most important."
Team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen came second, while Kris Meeke also finished on the podium.
Championship leader Sebastien Ogier claimed maximum bonus points from winning the live TV Power Stage but finished 11th on Sunday due to a faulty gearbox sensor.
Yet the Frenchman needs to only score one point more than Latvala at the next event in Spain later this month to lift the overall championship title.
