Esapekka Lappi has taken victory at WRC Rally Sweden, his career-second win on rallying top level, ending an almost seven-year-long win drought.
His Rally Sweden victory, alongside co-driver and fellow Finn Janne Ferm, came six years, six months and 19 days since he won in the WRC for the first time at Rally Finland in 2017.
“It feels really good,” Lappi said. “I’ve been hunting for this second victory for quite a while. I would like to say a million things but probably I’ll forget many of them. But many thanks to Cyril [Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport president and team principal], he kept me in the team after a very bad second half last year. It’s quite a massive contrast from that moment until now. So thanks to the team. And my family as well.”
No big push for Lappi during final day
Lappi started Rally Sweden’s deciding leg of three stages this morning (Sunday) leading by 1min 06.3sec and with 18 WRC points banked for topping the order at the end of Saturday’s running. While his rivals deployed full-attack mode, Lappi kept a cool, calm head to reach the finish unscathed and with his lead intact.
Although it meant his winning margin was trimmed to 29.6sec, victory was all that mattered for Lappi, who is embarking on a partial campaign for the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team in 2024.
Behind Lappi, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans snatched second from Adrien Fourmaux when the Frenchman lost time striking a snowbank on Sunday’s first test. But the M-Sport Ford Puma driver didn’t let that moment knock him off his stride as he raced to his maiden WRC podium in third.
“It’s really, really good for us to be on the podium, after coming back to Rally1,” said Fourmaux. “It’s been two really hard years but we never gave up and to be on the podium in Sweden is really special. Honestly, I have no words, it’s just so nice.”
Evans takes most points from Rally Sweden
Despite sliding his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid into a snowbank at high speed on SS17, Evans topped the Super Sunday classification to bag seven world championship points to add to the 13 he scored on Saturday under new rules for 2024. The Welshman, who also took four points on the Wolf Power Stage for an event total of 24, is now three points adrift of Thierry Neuville in the race to win the 2024 WRC title.
But he could have been two points behind Neuville had he not slid into another snowbank nearing the finish of the Wolf Power Stage, a moment that denied him the fastest time – and five bonus points – by 0.039sec.
Neuville, the winner of Rallye Monte-Carlo last month, fought back from fuel pressure issues and a few set-up gripes to finish fourth, but with the rear of his Hyundai sporting significant cosmetic damage following a heavy Wolf Power Stage landing. While the Belgian’s title lead has been cut from six to three points, his efforts helped Hyundai draw level with Toyota at the top of the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers after two rounds.
Solberg clinches WRC2 win and P5 O/A at home rally
Oliver Solberg won WRC2 in Sweden for the second year running in fifth followed by category rivals Sami Pajari, Georg Linnamäe, Roope Korhonen and Mikko Heikkilä. Italy’s Lorenzo Bertelli, making his second WRC start in as many years in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1, rounded out the top 10.
World champion Kalle Rovanperä claimed five points by setting the pace through the rally-deciding Wolf Power Stage following his Saturday morning restart. Ott Tänak, who also crashed out on Friday, scored six points via the Super Sunday classification and his Wolf Power Stage result.
Early rally leader Takamoto Katsuta’s bid to salvage championship points following his off on Saturday’s first stage suffered a setback when he spun at high-speed nearing the finish of SS17. The Japanese Toyota driver came away with three points.
The World Rally Championship heads to Africa next for Safari Rally Kenya, round three of the season, from 27 – 31 March.
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WRC Rally Sweden 2024 – Final results
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff. to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lappi / Ferm | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | 2:33:04.9 |
| 2. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +29.6 |
| 3. | Fourmaux / Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 | +47.9 |
| 4. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | +1:46.3 |
| 5. | Solberg / Edmondson | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +5:04.2 |
| 6. | Pajari / Mälkönen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +6:23.9 |
| 7. | Linnamäe / Morgan | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +6:26.4 |
| 8. | Korhonen / Viinikka | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +6:48.1 |
| 9. | Heikkilä / Temonen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +7:25.7 |
| 10. | Bertelli / Scattolin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 | +7:37.7 |
WRC 2024 Drivers’ Championship – Standings after Round 2/13 [Top 10]
| # | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thierry Neuville | 48 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | 45 (-3) |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | 29 (-19) |
| 4. | Sébastien Ogier | 24 (-24) |
| 5. | Ott Tänak | 21 (-27) |
| 6. | Esapekka Lappi | 19 (-29) |
| 7. | Takamoto Katsuta | 12 (-36) |
| 8. | Kalle Rovanperä | 11 (-37) |
| 9. | Oliver Solberg | 8 (-40) |
| 10. | Andreas Mikkelsen | 6 (-42) |
| 10. | Sami Pajari | 6 (-42) |
WRC 2024 Manufacturers’ Championship – Standings after Round 2/13
| # | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | 87 |
| 1. | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | 87 (-0) |
| 3. | M-Sport Ford WRT | 47 (-40) |
Photo, text: Red Bull Content Pool