Rally De Portugal

A diamond in the rough that goes by the name of “Esapekka Lappi” shows flashes of brilliance, as TGR competes with three vehicles for the first time in Portugal

“I’ve been waiting half a year for this moment to come.” When Esapekka Lappi, a 26-year old Finn, climbed into his Yaris WRC, his face was beaming. Having won the WRC2 Championship in 2016, he has contributed to improving the performance of the Yaris WRC as one of the team’s test drivers since the end of last year. At the Rally de Portugal, Lappi finally had the chance to drive the Yaris WRC on the rally roads.

Until Round Five of the WRC, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team had competed with two cars, driven by Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hänninen. However, the team entered three cars for the first time at Rally de Portugal, entrusting Lappi with the wheel of the third Yaris WRC. The team’s primary aim was to accumulate as much running data as possible in order to accelerate development of the vehicle. In the rally world, there is no development better than actual competition—subtle setting options or problems that cannot be found in limited testing conditions are brought into stark relief in the rallies themselves. By increasing the number of participating vehicles from two to three, simple arithmetic suggests that 50 percent more data can be accumulated. However, for this to work, the rally cars have to complete the stages laid out before them, and, they have to complete them at a competitive speed. Despite this being Lappi’s debut in a world rally car, he was entrusted with a number of tasks. It would have been natural to be overwhelmed by this situation, but the Finn was unphased before the start of the rally. He looked forward to his first rally with extreme calm, commenting: “I know what I have to do. On top of that, I want to demonstrate my capabilities.”

In his first ever rally in a WR Car, Lappi shows speed to rival experienced leading drivers

Lappi prioritized getting used to the Yaris WRC during the initial stages. Driving within himself, he completed the stages at a steady pace of 11th or so on the time sheets. “I think we are OK in the slow corners; in the fast corners, I feel we can go quicker, but for now I’m not quite brave enough!” said Lappi. Yet as the Finn gradually grew more accustomed to the Yaris WRC, on the third day he showed his true speed. He recorded the sixth fastest time on SS12, seventh on SS13, and fifth on SS14, so rivaling the pace of the leading drivers who boast many years experience in world rally cars.

Lappi has an extremely smooth and efficient driving style, rarely allowing his car to slide and, instead, focusing on forward propulsion. This style is similar to his fellow countryman Hänninen’s, and it may well be that Lappi was able to record leading times at such great speed precisely because Hänninen was in charge of basic development of the Yaris WRC. Lappi drove with confidence and had the Yaris WRC under control at all times. He noted: “The car is extremely easy to drive. It is stable and allows me to attack.”

A mistake results in an unwanted loss of position; such experiences, however, are also essential for Lappi’s development

On SS15, the stage after he had recorded the fifth fastest time, Lappi lost control of his line through a slippery loose-gravel section and the right-rear of his Yaris WRC struck the wall at the course’s edge. The car suffered significant damage to its suspension and brakes. Lappi was forced to slow his pace and, so as not to get inhibit the drivers behind him, he stopped multiple times on course as he continued on to the finish line. Fortunately this was the last SS of the day, and the Finn was able to return his car to the service park directly.

Team Principal Tommi Mäkinen gave a cool evaluation of Lappi’s driving from the perspective of a former top driver: “What happened to him on the last stage was a really small mistake: I don’t blame him at all and I believe he will learn from this. Again, we have seen that the speed of our car is very encouraging.” Mäkinen himself committed many errors as a driver and, learning greatly from these setbacks, he went on to become a four-time World Rally Champion. Crashing and exceeding course limits are inescapable elements of the development process in rally driving. Drivers who never exceed the limits when they attack do not become faster. Indeed, the very next day Lappi used this valuable experience to spur his growth.

Transforming the previous day’s mistake into positive energy, Lappi records the fourth fastest time on the all-out Power Stage

Day Four—the final day of the rally—consisted of four SS. The final stage, “Fafe 2,” was the designated Power Stage and featured bonus points. Since there was a big gap to the leaders, most of the drivers had given up on trying to improve their positions and, instead, had their sights set on acquiring bonus championship points in the Power Stage. The drivers were scheduled to drive the Fafe stage twice on the final day: during “Fafe 1,” the drivers adjusted their suspension settings and preserved their tires for “Fafe 2,” when bonus points would be on offer. In race parlance, the veteran drivers treated Fafe 2 as a single-round qualifying run and gave it their all.

On the penultimate SS18, Lappi recorded his best ever result of fourth. Then, on the final, Power Stage, which was a battle of pure speed, Lappi again recorded the fourth best time—and the best placing of the team—as he successfully secured bonus points. The Finn commented: “I was aiming for it, but I didn’t really think I could get any bonus points. I’m very surprised.” Lappi had transformed his previous day’s mistake into an energizing force and, on his first ever outing in a World Rally car, secured a tenth-place finish and even claimed bonus points. The Rally de Portugal turned out to be an extremely fruitful experience for the debutante.

“He is a diamond in the rough,” Mäkinen said, “just like the Yaris WRC.” The team is developing the Yaris WRC with the goal of being able to compete on performance with the leaders next year; just like the Yaris WRC, no doubt Lappi will also continue to grow on a daily basis and become stronger and faster.

Hänninen firmly completes his mission, while Latvala overcomes ill health to secure points

Hänninen, in seventh, was the highest-placed finisher for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team. Before the start, Hänninen stated his aim was to complete the Rally de Portugal and he achieved his goal splendidly. He put in a number of sparkling performances on various stages and proved that, despite being a veteran, he continues to evolve. Hänninen lost roughly a minute on SS14 due to a mechanical issue—but for this, he would surely have been looking at an even more impressive overall position.

Latvala suffered his first rollover of the season and incurred a significant loss of time as a result. He did not retire but competed to the end, securing a ninth-place finish. As it turns out, Latvala was plagued by ill health for the duration of the rally. He had back pains before the start and, perhaps due to this, he subsequently developed a high fever; while driving, he also experienced severe stomach pains. Since Latvala’s poor health meant he was unable to sleep well, he showed great determination to persevere to the end of the rally. In fact, on the eve of Day Four, Latvala was hospitalized with dehydration and was on a drip on the morning of the final day—his ability to compete had pushed his body beyond the limits. The two points Latvala secured in the face of such difficulties hold a significance far in excess of their numerical value.

RESULT