Long after his maiden WRC win back in 2017, the Finn was starting to doubt he’d repeat the feat. Then he came in from the cold in snowy Sweden
TOM HOWARD PHOTOGRAPHY McKLEIN AND RED BULL
WRC
Six years, six months and 19 days is a long time in motorsport. For Esapekka Lappi, it would have felt like an eternity since he last stood on the top step of a World Rally Championship podium. Doubts that he would ever win again had begun to creep into his mind, but in Sweden last Sunday they were extinguished.
In the time since a fresh-faced Finn burst onto the WRC scene to claim a maiden victory on Rally Finland in 2017, Lappi has contested 60 rallies driving for Toyota, Citroen, M-Sport and Hyundai. There have been several opportunities to add to his win tally, but it took an attritional Rally Sweden for the stars to align for one of the service park’s true characters.
“It feels bloody good, I don’t know how to explain it,” said an emotional Lappi as he and co-driver Janne Ferm stood on the podium. “At the end of last year for sure I felt it [a win] would not come anymore as I didn’t even know if we were driving, so I was not really believing it anymore. But maybe that is the trick.”
Tricks were indeed required to conquer Sweden’s fast yet unforgiving snowbank-lined roads. This was a proper Rally Sweden, with heavy snow showers creating a challenge not witnessed for many years.
It was billed as reigning world champion Kalle Rovanpera’s comeback as the Finn embarked on the first event of his part-time season for Toyota. The 2022 Rally Sweden winner was the overwhelming favourite given his skills on snow and a favourable starting position after sitting out last month’s Monte Carlo Rally.
The event was also Lappi’s first round of 2024 after he elected for a partial season this year at Hyundai. When Autosport suggested to Lappi that he and Rovanpera would be the favourites given their road position, he wasn’t convinced. “It could be Kalle and then the rest of us,” he replied. “That is probably more obvious than me fighting with him, but I hope I can fight with him.”
Lappi’s words were somewhat prophetic as Rovanpera raced into an early lead. After missing out on a podium last year, Toyota left no stone unturned in its preparations, and had entered Rovanpera and team-mate Elfyn Evans into the Arctic Lapland Rally the
