Esapekka Lappi pulls off stunning hat-trick – question about Rally Finland makes him slightly uncomfortable

Lappi drove to a dominant victory in the event, which concluded on Saturday. It marked his third consecutive win in the Finnish Championship. The winning streak began in March in Savonlinna and continued in May in Turku.

Lappi also set a blistering time on the final stage of the rally, the over 20-kilometre-long Turkia special stage. He won the event by 17.4 seconds ahead of Canadian Brandon Semenuk. With the win, Lappi extended his lead in the Finnish Championship standings to 18 points over Tuukka Kauppinen.

– Now we’ll wait and see what happens, though it doesn’t really matter. Our result is clear, and thanks a lot. I have to thank the service crew and just as much Enni (co-driver Mälkönen). I’ve really been able to enjoy it to the fullest again, said Lappi at the finish of the final stage.

Lappi is contesting the full Finnish Championship series this season. The Finn has repeatedly stated he’s no longer interested in competing in the World Rally Championship. But still – isn’t there even a small temptation to enter Rally Finland at the beginning of August?

– Well. It would probably be quite fun. That’s really the only WRC rally I’d have felt like entering. But let’s not speculate about that any further, Lappi smiled.

Lappi’s win was somewhat expected, but Canadian Brandon Semenuk surprised in his own way by claiming second place. The Canadian driver is a multiple champion in the ARA series, but it’s worth noting that this was his first time driving a Škoda Rally2 car in Finland.

– I’m really pleased with at least today. We were able to improve from the morning loop, said Semenuk.

Semenuk hinted that he’d be seen in Finland again – if at all possible.

– I’d love that! I’ve had a really great time. I’ll definitely come back if there’s a chance, Semenuk beamed.

Teemu Asunmaa finished third in Kouvola. He ended up 21.4 seconds behind Lappi.

– We’re taking this one rally at a time, and we’re not really contesting the series that way. This was just one of those rallies. It clearly took a bit of warming up at the start, Asunmaa reflected.

Young prospect Tuukka Kauppinen was fourth. He finished 37.9 seconds behind Lappi. The young talent wasn’t entirely satisfied with his performance.

– It wasn’t a very easy rally. We’ve definitely picked up the pace since Turku and in that sense the feeling with the car is good. We made a small error with tyre choice, as we opted for soft tyres. But that didn’t decide the outcome. There were a few braking points here and there that were a bit excessive, and that’s where the gap came from, Kauppinen summed up.

The Finnish Rally Championship continues next in Lahti in August. The season will conclude in Seinäjoki in September.

Results of the Kouvola Finnish Championship Rally: