On Friday, Lappi collided with a pine tree, resulting in a retirement. Saturday was somewhat more positive for Lappi.
During Saturday, Lappi managed to set the fastest time on one stage, but also suffered two punctures.
“There were a lot of good and positive things in the afternoon. The car was changed a lot, somewhat like yesterday, but still, it felt very different,” Lappi said.
“It sounds unbelievable, but I had a much better grip on the muddy sections right from the first stage of the morning. It was a really strange feeling. I kept thinking at every corner that there couldn’t be any grip, but there always was. This improved my feeling all the time,” Lappi continued.
The afternoon loop provided some joy for Lappi, but the Ouninpohja stage, driven twice, was very challenging both times.
“Maybe the car could have been a bit stiffer for those conditions in Ouninpohja, as it was quite dry. You can’t drive that stage any faster with this car than we did,” Lappi recalled.
On the second run through Ouninpohja, Lappi suffered a puncture – once again.
“Some pieces flew off, and I didn’t know what the situation was. But the tyre wasn’t flat. It still had air, but the tyre’s structure broke. Luckily, we didn’t go into the bushes, but it certainly gave us a fright,” Lappi said.
Lappi managed to change the tyre and continued his journey, finishing almost at the same time as Sami Pajari.
“I lost my motivation completely at that point. I wasn’t interested in changing the tyre at all. But it had to be done,” Lappi laughed.
“There wasn’t any dust. I’m not quite sure if we were a nuisance or not, but I don’t think we ruined Sami’s race,” Lappi concluded.
