Lappi competed in the WRC with Hyundai’s team until the end of last year. He had hoped for a part-time contract with Hyundai for this year, but no extension was offered to the Finnish driver.
Just over a week ago, Lappi announced that he would join the Finnish Rally Championship and compete in all the remaining events of the season. Lappi’s co-driver will be Enni Mälkönen, and their car is a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
“The decision to compete in the Finnish Rally Championship was made rather hastily. However, we managed to put everything together, and it wasn’t until last Thursday that I got to test a Škoda for the first time in a long while. It’s been quite an intense process overall,” Lappi said.
“Now it feels easier as we’re ready to get going. I’m grateful that, RTE Motorsport, was flexible enough to support this project, and I thank all my sponsors for their help.”
This weekend, Lappi will compete in the Arctic Lapland Rally. The last time he participated in the event was in 2012, when he won the rally and went on to celebrate the Finnish Championship at the end of the season.
On Monday, Lappi and Mälkönen conducted a pre-event test, focusing on adjustments to the rear differential settings of the Škoda. Lappi has set high goals for the Arctic Lapland Rally.
“I already have one set of reindeer antlers (Arctic Lapland trophy) at home, and, of course, we’re aiming for a second. But that’s not a given. With our experience, we should have the fastest car, but rallying always involves a lot of variables, and that’s what makes this sport exciting,” Lappi noted.
In the Rovaniemi-based rally, Lappi will face competitors such as Lauri Joona, Roope Korhonen, Teemu Asunmaa, and Finnish Rally Championship top class newcomer Tuukka Kauppinen.
“We’re not driving the latest version of the Škoda, and we don’t know how competitive our car will be compared to the new Škodas. But we’ll drive in a way that ensures we have fun in the car and with the team – both when we arrive at the rally and when we leave,” Lappi promised.
The Arctic Lapland Rally will take place on Friday and Saturday.
