Lappi thought drought-ending Sweden WRC win would never come
Esapekka Lappi had thoughts that a second career World Rally Championship win would never arrive before recording a drought-ending triumph at Rally Sweden.
The Hyundai driver beat Toyota’s Elfyn Evans by 29.6 seconds across Sweden’s 18 snow stages to clinch a first win since his breakthrough 2017 Rally Finland victory.
The success ended a 2,394 day wait to stand on the top step of a WRC top tier podium, following his Finland win, 60 rallies ago when driving for Toyota.
The Finn, competing in the first round of a partial programme this year, made the most of a favourable road position to emerge with a 3.2s rally lead on Friday night, assisted by early leader Kalle Rovanpera crashing out on stage four.
Lappi then saw off a challenge from Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta before going on to cruise through the remaining stages to claim a long awaited victory.
“It feels bloody good. I don’t know how to explain it,” Lappi told Motorsport.com.
“For sure you realise it [what it means]. I’m glad it is over. When you are not in a fight you just want to see the finish line, and now I have crossed it everything is done."
Lappi has found himself in several winning situations over the last six and half years, but at the end of last season he felt