Tag: Rally Sweden

Lappi breaks drought with Rally Sweden triumph

Esapekka Lappi is a winner again in the FIA World Rally Championship on the back of a controlled but fine fast-paced display of ice and snow driving aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. His Rally Sweden victory, alongside co-driver and fellow …

Esapekka Lappi is a winner again in the FIA World Rally Championship on the back of a controlled but fine fast-paced display of ice and snow driving aboard his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.

His Rally Sweden victory, alongside co-driver and fellow Finn Janne Ferm, came six years, six months and 19 days since he won in the WRC for the first time on Rally Finland in 2017.

The 33-year-old breaks the record for the longest gap between WRC wins, which stood at five years and 359 days and was jointly held by Shekhar Mehta and Jean-Luc Therier.

Lappi is the fifth Hyundai-powered driver to win a WRC round, a result that gives the manufacturer its 29th triumph in the world championship on an event when Toyota and M-Sport Ford also finished on the podium.

Esapekka Lappi had a long wait for his second WRC trophy, which made it taste all the sweeter. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

“It feels really good,” Lappi said. “I’ve been hunting for this second victory for quite a while. I would like to say a million things but probably I’ll forget many of them. But many thanks to Cyril [Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport president and team principal] — he kept me in the team after a very bad second half last year. It’s quite a massive contrast from that moment until now. So thanks to the team. And my family as well.”

Lappi started Rally Sweden’s deciding leg of three stages on Sunday morning leading by 1m06.3s and with 18 WRC points banked for topping the order at the end of Saturday’s running. While his rivals deployed full-attack mode, Lappi played it cool to reach the finish unscathed and with his lead intact. Although it meant his winning margin was trimmed to 29.6s, victory was all that mattered for Lappi, who is embarking on a partial campaign for the Hyundai Shell Mobis team in 2024.

It was good news/bad news for Elfyn Evans on Sunday, as he rebounded to take second overall for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT but also lost points to a snowbank strike. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Behind Lappi, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans snatched second from Adrien Fourmaux when the Frenchman lost time striking a snowbank on Sunday’s first test. Despite sliding his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid into a snowbank at high speed himself on SS17, Evans topped the Super Sunday classification to bag seven world championship points to add to the 13 he scored on Saturday under new rules for 2024. The Welshman, who also took four points on the Wolf Power Stage for an event total of 24, is now three points adrift of Thierry Neuville in the race to win the 2024 WRC title.

But he could have been two points behind Neuville had he not slid into another snowbank nearing the finish of the Wolf Power Stage, a moment that denied him the fastest time — and five bonus points — by 0.039s.

“We lost it all in the last couple of corners — not so good,” Evans said. “Overall I guess we can be relatively happy with this result after what happened on Friday, but there are still areas to work on.”

Although his own collision with a snowbank cost Fourmaux the runner-up spot, the M-Sport Ford Puma driver didn’t let that moment knock him off his stride as he clinched his first WRC podium place with third.

A snowbank caught out Adrien Fourmaux on Sunday too, but he held on to take third for M-Sport Ford. McKlein/Motorsport Images

“It’s really, really good for us to be on the podium, after coming back to Rally1,” said Fourmaux. “It’s been two really hard years but we never gave up and to be on the podium in Sweden is really special. Honestly, I have no words, it’s just so nice.”

Neuville, the winner of Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, fought back from fuel pressure issues and a few setup gripes to finish fourth, but with the rear of his Hyundai sporting significant cosmetic damage following a heavy Wolf Power Stage landing. While the Belgian’s title lead has been cut from six to three points, his efforts helped Hyundai draw level with Toyota at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers after two rounds.

Another home triumph for Sweden’s Oliver Solberg. McKlein/Motorsport Images

In WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, Oliver Solberg won on home ground in Sweden for the second year running, placing fifth overall followed by category rivals Sami Pajari, Georg Linnamae, Roope Korhonen and Mikko Heikkila. Italy’s Lorenzo Bertelli, making his second WRC start in as many years in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1, rounded out the top 10.

World champion Kalle Rovanpera claimed five points by setting the pace through the rally-deciding Wolf Power Stage following his Saturday morning restart. Ott Tanak, who also crashed out on Friday, scored six points via the Super Sunday classification and his Wolf Power Stage result.

Early rally leader Takamoto Katsuta’s bid to salvage championship points following his off on Saturday’s first stage suffered a setback when he spun at high-speed nearing the finish of SS17. The Japanese Toyota driver came away with three points.

Rally1 rookie Gregoire Munster achieved his goal of reaching the finish in the second M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Puma following myriad mishaps during what was a learning-first mission by the Luxembourg youngster.

The World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from March 27-31.

WRC Rally Sweden, final results:

1 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 2h33m04.9s
2 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +29.6s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +47.9s
4 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +1m46.3s
5 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 winner) +5m04.2s
6 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m23.9s
7 Georg Linnamae/James Morgan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m26.4s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +6m48.1s
9 Mikko Heikkila/Kristian Temonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +7m25.7s
10 Lorenzo Bertelli/Simone Scattolin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +7m37.7s

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Lappi extends Rally Sweden lead

Esapekka Lappi added to his hefty advantage with a clean run through Rally Sweden’s second leg on Saturday as he closed in on his first FIA World Rally Championship victory in six years. By completing leg two in front, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 …

Esapekka Lappi added to his hefty advantage with a clean run through Rally Sweden’s second leg on Saturday as he closed in on his first FIA World Rally Championship victory in six years.

By completing leg two in front, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid driver provisionally scored 18 WRC points, which will be added to his season tally providing he reaches the rally finish on Sunday afternoon under new rules for 2024.

Starting Saturday’s action leading the ice and snow event by 3.2s following Friday’s drama-packed first leg, Lappi came under early pressure when Takamoto Katsuta slashed his advantage to 0.9s with a determined charge through the day-opening run through Vannas. But Lappi was left in the clear when Katsuta plunged his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid into a snowbank 3.4km from the start of SS10 while pressing his Finnish rival for top spot.

Despite his comfortable margin, which stood at 1m31.6s after SS10, Lappi admitted that finding the balance between attacking and holding his lead was far from easy. Like his fellow drivers, Lappi also had to make preserving his tire studs on increasingly damaged roads a key focus. But the one-time WRC event winner completed Saturday’s running without incident and will take a lead of 1m06.3s into Sunday’s deciding three-stage leg.

“I’ve been trying to save the tires the whole afternoon and still be smart in terms of the pace,” Lappi said of his Saturday efforts. “I’m not so used to it so it’s not the easiest job in the world. But it’s all under control.”

Takamoto Katsuta pushed his luck a little too far on the treacherous Rally Sweden roads, but still hopes to score some points Sunday. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

While Lappi heads into Sunday with his sights fixed on victory, Katsuta will be hoping to avoid leaving Sweden empty handed. The Japanese driver’s target are the seven points up for grabs for topping leg three’s classification, plus the five points on offer for the Wolf Power Stage fastest time.

Of his Saturday morning exit, a dejected Katsuta said: “We did an OK time on the first one to gain the time and a much closer gap between me and EP [Lappi]. I wanted to continue pushing, maybe even more to gain more time but obviously I was trying very hard, and [in] one corner I carried a bit too much speed and snapped the rear and hit the snowbank. We were stuck and couldn’t get out.”

On a day that produced five stage winners from the seven scheduled stages and also marked M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson’s 68th birthday, the team’s Adrien Fourmaux excelled aboard his Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid.

After demoting WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg in the battle for third on SS9, Fourmaux moved into second when Katsuta stopped on the next stage. The Frenchman further underlined his potential by landing his fourth WRC career stage win on SS11 to cement second place in the overall order, which he maintained through the afternoon to land 15 interim points. That was despite a scare in the closing portion of SS15 when he charged a snowbank after being distracted by his teammate Gregoire Munster’s stricken Puma.

“I’ve seen the video [of Munster] and I thought it was the corner before,” Fourmaux said. “When I realized they were there it was too late. What a good day — a rollercoaster, up and down, but I’m happy, P2.”

Adrien Fourmaux put on a show for Ford in moving up to second overall. McKlein/Motorsport Images

Having been hampered by opening the road for much of Friday afternoon, Elfyn Evans missed out on winning SS9 by 0.3s before his third-fastest time on SS10 elevated him onto the final step of the provisional podium, 11.4s behind Fourmaux. But after the Toyota driver “scooped a snowbank on the inside of a corner” and “lost loads of power” as a result, he headed back to midday service 16.2s behind the flying Frenchman. With one eye on tire stud retention through stages 12-15, the Welshman is 16.7s down on Fourmaux in third.

Completing Friday’s running in 11th overall due to fuel pressure problems costing him 40 seconds in penalties, Thierry Neuville overtook Solberg for fourth on SS12 before setting the fastest time on SS13 during an afternoon spent perfecting the setup of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. He was fastest on the day’s final three stages.

Behind fifth-placed WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg, Sami Pajari took second in WRC’s second tier category and sixth overall when Georg Linnamae spun his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 nearing the finish of SS11. The Estonian slipped to fourth in class following his moment but demoted WRC3 champion Roope Korhonen on SS14 before closing to within 0.2s of Pajari on SS15. Mikko Heikkila, who recovered from a spin on SS15, and Lauri Joona complete the top 10.

Oliver Solberg stayed ahead in WRC2, while he and pursuer Sami Pajari  are now fifth and sixth overall. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Hyundai’s Ott Tanak and Toyota’s world champion Kalle Rovanpera restarted on Saturday morning after they crashed on Friday. Tanak won SS9 from first on the road, 1.2s faster than Rovanperä. The Finn set the pace on SS10, going 2.8s quicker than Tanak, who complained of a lack of visibility in a forest section. The duo found the road surface on the repeated stages a particular handful during the afternoon loop, with Rovanpera reporting a brake issue at the completion of SS14.

Sunday’s deciding leg begins with back-to-back visits to the significantly altered Vastervik test ahead of the Wolf Power Stage — the same layout as the Umea stage from Saturday evening. A separate classification for the Sunday stages awards points to the top seven (7-6-5-4-3-2-1). The fastest five drivers on the Wolf Power Stage also score points (5-4-3-2-1).

Leading positions after Saturday:
1. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Hyundai i20 N 2h 03m 52s
2. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Ford Puma +1m 06.3s
3. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +1m 23.0s
4. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N +2m 22.1s
5. O Solberg / E Edmonson SWE / GBR Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +4m 01.1s
6. S Pajari / E Malkonen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +5m 15.1s

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Lappi leads, Solberg stars as favorites falter on WRC Rally Sweden

Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi stayed out of the snow banks on a challenging and drama-filled opening leg of WRC Rally Sweden to lead by a slender 3.2s at Friday’s overnight halt. Lappi (above), making his first 2024 start in the third factory Hyundai i20 …

Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi stayed out of the snow banks on a challenging and drama-filled opening leg of WRC Rally Sweden to lead by a slender 3.2s at Friday’s overnight halt.

Lappi (above), making his first 2024 start in the third factory Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, refocused after a lackluster run through Thursday evening’s short opening stage. Reveling in the super-fast stages of the FIA World Rally Championship’s only true snow and ice event, the Finn completed Friday morning’s loop of three stages trailing Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Takamoto Katsuta by 11.4s.

But Lappi wasted no time in his efforts to catch the first-placed GR Yaris Rally1 during the afternoon loop by taking 6.1s out of Katsuta’s lead on special stage 5 — a rerun of the #42 Brattby test — to close the gap to just 5.3s.

With the snowfall intensifying, Lappi outpaced Katsuta again on the afternoon’s second stage, this time by 5.0s, and snatched the rally lead following his table-topping run through the next test, the 17.55-mile Floda 2 stage.

Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta (above) led after the morning loop, but was reeled in by Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi. Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT photo

“For sure we need to take the confidence from today and start to concentrate for the rest of the rally,” Lappi said after winning Friday’s short closing stage, Umea Sprint 2. “I used the road position advantage clearly in the afternoon. OK, for sure in the morning as well, but I was not too slow against [Toyota’s reigning WRC champ] Kalle [Rovanpera] in the beginning, so I’m fairly satisfied with that.”

Behind the charging Katsuta, Adrien Fourmaux was on course to complete leg one on the provisional podium for M-Sport Ford on the back of a fine drive. But the Ford Puma Rally1-driving Frenchman was powerless to prevent WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg moving ahead in the afternoon snow, despite the power deficit the Swede faced in his Rally2-spec Skoda Fabia.

“Third place in a Rally2 [car] is incredible and in my home rally it’s a bit of a dream and I’m very happy,” Solberg said of his stunning performance. “But the main goal is WRC2 and we are leading that with quite a lot, so I’m happy with the day.” 

Oliver Solberg put in a stunning drive to not only hold the WRC2 lead in his Skoda Fabia RS, but third overall. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

While the heavy snow created a picture-perfect backdrop to the WRC’s second round of the season, it made the task for the drivers — particularly those running at the head of the field who played unwitting snow plows for the following cars – even harder.

Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, the WRC points leader after winning last month’s Monte Carlo Rally opener, was 40.5s off the pace in fifth position, two places behind Elfyn Evans’ GR Yaris, following the morning loop, having not only struggled for grip opening the road but for visibility, too, in the early morning fog.

Normally a fuel pressure issue would be the stuff of nightmares for a rally driver, but after completing the snow-heavy special stage 5 some 1m15.5s behind then-leader Katsuta, the engine fault Neuville detected prior to SS6 provided much needed, albeit unusual, respite for the Belgian, as he started the stage out of order behind Evans.

Although Neuville was a mere 3.7s quicker than Evans on SS6, he was more than 20s faster than the Toyota driver on SS7 after Evans charged a snowbank and was further delayed by a misting windshield.

“I guess the spirit of competition has gone out of the window,” said a disgruntled Evans. “The difference between being first and second on the road is huge. I’m not really sure what’s been going on this afternoon. I can’t even see from here to the sign in front of me, and we’re going so fast. It’s a bit bonkers, but we’re [still] here.”

“The engine was not running so we had to check it,” Neuville explained of his scare prior to SS6. “Elfyn was at the refuel earlier when our car didn’t fire up, so he should know [that’s true]. In the stage it’s not a problem. I could have gone a little bit faster at the end [of SS7], but it’s very easy to go off.”

Neuville’s earlier delay, which incurred a 40s penalty, means he’s outside the overall top 10 at the overnight halt, with Evans in fifth behind Fourmaux’s Puma.

Entries from WRC2, the second tier of international rallying, complete the rest of the overall top 10. Georg Linnamae, who sensationally claimed his maiden outright WRC stage win on SS5, is sixth in Toyota’s new-for-2024 GR Yaris Rally2, with rivals Sami Pajari, Roope Korhonen, Mikko Heikkila, and Lauri Joona holding sixth to 10th.

Reigning world champ Rovanpera, who’s elected to run only a partial WRC campaign in 2024, made his first start of the season for Toyota Gazoo Racing and bossed the opening stages. But a hard hit on one of the event’s defining snowbanks in the morning’s final stage saw his GR Yaris suffer serious rear-end damage, taking the 23-year-old Finn out of contention.

Reigning WRC champ Kalle Rovanpera started strongly, before hitting a snowbank and damaging his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool

Ott Tanak won last year’s Rally Sweden with M-Sport Ford, but the Estonian’s return to Hyundai for 2024 saw him spin off, hit a snow bank and extensively damage the front end of his i20 N Rally1 while holding third. He, too, is out of contention for any decent points haul. 

The weather is set to improve a little for Saturday’s second leg. Two passes through the Vannas, Sarsjoliden and Bygdsiljum stages provide the bulk of the mileage. The day ends with a first run through the 6.26-mile Umea test, the venue for Sunday’s bonus points-paying and rally-closing Wolf Power Stage.    

WRC Rally Sweden, positions after Leg One, SS8
1 Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 58m18.8s
2 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +3.2s
3 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2 leader) +1m20.7s
4 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Ford Puma Rally1) +1m26.3s
5 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) +1m50.0s
6 Georg Linnamae/James Morgan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +1m50.1s
7 Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +2m05.8s
8 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +2m08.6s
9 Mikko Heikkila/Kristian Temonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 – WRC2) +2m19.0s
10 Lauri Joona/Janni Hussi (Skoda Fabia RS – WRC2) +2m45.7s
11 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +2m46.0s

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