On Friday, his journey prematurely ended from a prime position due to a gearbox explosion. Saturday’s troubles were caused by wildlife, unfortunately crossing the Finnish driver’s path as he led the stage.
In the morning, Lappi collided with a zebra, and in the afternoon, on the same Sleeping Warrior stage, two large birds smacked into the windshield. Tire punctures also plagued the morning, so there was plenty to handle.
“We got a bird flying straight to the windscreen on the straight line, and then it got cracked, but it was not too bad. And then a couple of kilometres later, we got the second one again. This time through the windscreen,” Lappi summarized.
“The tension was gone already, it really went more and more broken. So it’s really cracked now and it almost came inside. A pelican hit the turbine twice. When the second bird hit, the glass was so shattered, I couldn’t see anything. We still made it to service, though.”
In the bird episode, Lappi also got glass in his eyes.
“I still feel something in my eyes, so I need to go see the medical staff. We’ll try to wash them out,” Lappi remarked.
Lappi hopes for better luck on the final day of the rally.
“I mean, we’ve had bad luck on two days, so hopefully on the third day, we don’t have bad luck, and we can hopefully grab some points tomorrow,” Lappi pondered.
“We will be first on the road again. So hopefully we don’t meet any animals.”
However, Lappi’s chances of competing for additional points on Sunday depend much on the willingness of his full-season teammates, Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville. It’s clear, though, that many drivers will be racing for points, given the vast time differences.
On the other hand, it would be good for Lappi to take points away from the Toyota drivers.
“Let’s see how interested the others are driving about the points because gaps are huge now. I guess nobody will be just cruising around so it can be tough, but let’s try at least some points if I’m allowed to,” Lappi concluded.
“Thierry and Ott needs the points. So let’s see if I’ll allowed. It’s difficult to balance. But let’s see what instructions are tomorrow.”
