Lappi had to retire on Friday but was able to continue the rally on Saturday morning.
The Sleeping Warrior special stage, driven as the last stage before the day’s service, posed many challenges for the drivers due to the conditions alone, but the wildlife also increased the difficulty level.
Lappi, too, had to dodge wildlife along the stage and even hit a zebra at one point.
Lappi arrived at the service in good spirits, though the morning stage was challenging for him.
“It was quite fun. We made a lot of changes to the car and went for a pretty aggressive setup. It worked damn well. The car is now better than it has been at any point this weekend,” Lappi said during the day’s service.
“For that reason, it was then nice to drive. Leading didn’t feel too burdensome. In places, the road was quite good. It was fun. Just that tires blew on every stage, so that naturally dampens the mood a bit. Had to do some trickery on the transfer to get here,” Lappi continued.
The conditions were relentless. It was a close call that Lappi didn’t run out of tires.
“It’s pretty intense stuff. It’s a lot down to luck whether those tires go or not,” Lappi explained.
“The first tire puncture came from my own driving error, but for those other two, I have no clue where they went. Others have had quite a lot of problems in that regard too.”
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä continues to lead the rally dominantly. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, nearly one and a half minutes behind the Finn, is in second, with Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta in third.
Lappi’s focus is, of course, on Sunday. Then, he still has the chance to bring important points to his team.
Three more special stages are scheduled for Saturday in the Safari Rally. The competition concludes on Sunday.
