Hyundai's Lappi eyes better tidings at Safari Rally

Finnish rally ace Esapekka Lappi is returning to Kenya to consolidate his World Rally Championship points and continue with his winning ways from his victory last month in WRC Sweden before he starts thinking of a world title.

Lappi has teamed up with 2024 WRC championship leader Thierry Neuville of Belgium and Estonian 2019 world champion Ott Tanak in the Hyundai i20 Hybrid Rally 1 machine as they chase their first victory
in Kenya ever.

Lappi, navigated by compatriot Janne Ferm believes 2024 is a lucky year for him and thanked statisticians who pointed out that his victory in Sweden, coming six years, 11 months and 24 days since his first world
championship win at home in Finland in 2017 portends well for him in the season.

“The beginning has been promising. But we are very early in the season. The car is good. Guys in the workshop have done an amazing job on the car. We will see,” said Lappi on Sunday during a media briefing and hangout with fans at the local Hyundai franchise Caetano Motors showroom in Mombasa road.

He is coming to Kenya with a shared history with Shekhar Mehta whose second victory  in the Safari in 1979 came exactly six years, 11 months and 19 days after his first in 1972 is a very interesting coincidence.

“It is funny to keep these numbers.  Sure is nice, statistics with his kind of this is good for the sport and a reminder someone is keeping records. Since we finished the rally, we are reminded of what you have
done. But it is also interesting to be reminded of some history. I like it,” said the Finn before being driven to Naivasha in readiness for recce today on the route which is centred around Naivasha and Gilgil.

“I have been saying many times I am not a world champion but I need to break records in many ways to become one.”

Lappi regrets that he will not be visiting the Mara for a game drive this year because of the commitment at hand. But he will still be enjoying his own game drive while driving as he did last year.

“This Mara I need to do maybe in future,” said Lappi who retired last year due to driveshaft problems, a weakness in the car which has since been rectified as he looks forward to getting his second victory of the year.

“It's really amazing to see these animals. I am still gonna be amazed in the car. This is still the most beautiful rally in my opinion. I am not worried about the animals watching them, not in a zoo. I admire this wildlife and nature. Maybe next year I will go to Mara,” he said.

He also admitted that the new points scoring system, though confusing, has added excitement in the championship. “You win 18 points on Saturday but lose everything on Sunday if you don’t finish. It is sort
of a Super Sunday where you retain your points from Saturday and win more from six for first, five, four and so on.”

The FIA has ratified a new points system designed to add extra spice to rallies this season, with points awarded on Saturday and Sunday during an event.

Under the new system, a sliding scale of 18-15-13-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 points will be awarded at the end of Saturday, but only if a crew reaches Sunday’s final classification. If a crew fails to finish on Sunday, the Saturday points will be awarded to the next best-placed pairing.

Competitors will also battle for a maximum of seven points on Sunday. Points will be awarded to the top seven competitors via the following sliding scale; 7-6-5-4-3-2-1. The prime reason for its introduction is
to prevent drivers from cruising through Sunday's stages preserving tyres for the end-of-rally Power Stage, which remains unchanged with the top five fastest drivers receiving the five maximum bonus points.

If a driver completes a perfect rally they will continue to score 30 points as per the previous regulations, but there is now a scenario where the eventual outright winner of the rally could suffer a problem
on Sunday and therefore leave the event with fewer points than their rivals

Lappi said the choice of tyres will be crucial because of the expected rains. They will use soft compound if it rains but will have to change to hard if the road surface dries up. He also said that the snorkel device will be crucial in case it rains although it will compromise power marginally.

“There is a small power  difference. Instead of the air sacked from the front, it is sacked from the top. But it looks ok,” he said.

For the 2024 rally circuit, Hyundai Motorsport’s target is for more frequent wins, which they are hoping to achieve with their driver line-up, as well as having worked on some of the weaknesses that they identified last year with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.

“We want to continue building the blocks that will help us to charge to the highest level in the sport and go for the championships.” said Cyril Abiteboul, President of Hyundai Motorsport in a statement.

“We believe strongly that WRC offers proximity, accessibility, and an opportunity to showcase some of the best features of automotive technology, which is very much true of our car. We are intending to use 2024 and beyond to work with stakeholders, the FIA and the WRC promoter to explore how sport can evolve to reflect the changes we are seeing in the automotive industry,” added Abiteboul.

Speaking at the Hyundai Kenya media engagement with Esapekka Lappi, Ken Ouko, Caetano Kenya Sales and Marketing Manager said:

“What sets Hyundai vehicles apart is our unwavering commitment to quality and reliability shared with our friends over at Hyundai Motorsports. The engineering prowess of the Hyundai i20 WRC is not just confined to the rally track; it trickles down to every Hyundai product, ensuring you get a car that tackles Kenya’s toughest terrains with ease.”