Both Latvala and Lappi are taking part in the third round of the Finnish Rally Championship season, held in Savonlinna on Saturday.
Savonlinna presents a completely new challenge for all the top drivers in the championship.
“I don’t think anyone from the leading group has ever competed in a rally here before,” Lappi said during the pre-event festivities at Olavinlinna Castle.
Savonlinna marks the end of the winter season in the Finnish Championship, but conditions in South Savo on Saturday won’t consist solely of ice and snow.
“There’s a bit of everything. The first and second stages were run early in the morning. At that time, they were really good, but I don’t think they will be anymore. The sun was shining all day, and open areas will have melted significantly. It’s going to be interesting to drive. There will likely be plenty of surprises and situations where not every driver is fully in control of their car at all times. I’d say there’s going to be quite a lot of slush,” Lappi predicted.
Lappi made it clear that he is not competing in the Finnish Championship just for fun. They are professionals, but with a “relaxed twist,” as he put it.
In Savonlinna, Lappi will face a strong challenge from rising star Tuukka Kauppinen and, of course, from Jari-Matti Latvala. Latvala is entering the rally in a Toyota Rally2 car, alongside co-driver Juho Hänninen. The same duo used the same car in last summer’s Jyväskylä WRC rally.
“It has been a long time since I last competed directly against Jari-Matti. And I don’t think I’ve ever raced against my former team principal before. We’ve been everything to each other—teammates, and then he became my team boss. The other way around hasn’t happened yet, where I would be his team principal, but that will never happen either,” Lappi laughed.
The Savonlinna Finnish Championship Rally consists of seven special stages on Saturday, covering a total of just over 100 competitive kilometres.
