Gigi Galli has joined Stobart Ford for next season's World Rally Championship, in place of Jari-Matti Latvala, who has signed for the works team.

The 34-year-old Italian has not had a full-time drive in the WRC since Mitsubishi quit the championship at the end of 2005, but has performed superbly since, taking his only podium finish in Argentina last year in a privately-run car.

Malcolm Wilson, whose M-Sport team will continue to run the Stobart operation, said he was raring to get going with the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, starting on January 25 next year.

It's set to be another exciting year for the Stobart team after such a successful season this year," said Wilson.

"Jari-Matti's promotion to the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi team has left an opportunity for someone to join this very competitive squad and we are happy to announce that it will be Italian driver Gigi Galli.

"Gigi has a wealth of experience in the WRC and I'm sure will be a great asset for the team."

Galli will be part of a three-driver line-up as Britain's Matthew Wilson, 20, and Norwegian Henning Solberg, 34, who finished 11th and sixth in this year's championship, are retained.

Unlike last year, when Solberg and Latvala were the nominated drivers to score manufacturers' championship points, the second points-scoring position will remain open this season, with the team deciding who to nominate based on each individual event.

The position in Monte Carlo will go to Francois Duval, who has been drafted in to the team in a fourth Ford Focus as a tarmac expert.

Jamie O'Leary / Eurosport