Hyundai Motorsport, Toyota Racing and M-Sport have decided to enter one driver each in a test race on the snow to prepare for the Swedish Rally, scheduled from 9 to 12 February on the Scandinavian snow.
The three teams employed Esapekka Lappi, Takamoto Katsuta and Ott Tanak respectively. However, two of the three riders lined up had various problems that slowed down or stopped their test race.
Lappi and Katsuta were intent on challenging each other at the IsoValkeinen SM-Ralli Kuopio. A two-way battle for success but, above all, 8 special stages useful for gaining confidence with the vehicle and fine-tuning it for the snow.
An important race especially for Lappi, who in Sweden will race for the second time at the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1, therefore needing to cover kilometers to adapt to the characteristics of the new car.
The former Toyota driver went off the road in SS7, the 6.77 kilometer Venäjänsaari, losing almost 11 minutes. His Hyundai skidded off the road while Lappi was negotiating a right-hand bend. Once the car went out, it remained planted in the snow and only thanks to the intervention of the public was the crew able to get back into the race.
Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
Until then Lappi was in full control of the race, with a 1’45” advantage over the first of his rivals, Jari Huttunen. Takamoto Katsuta had already been forced to stop due to a breakdown on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in SS5. If Lappi’s going off the road didn’t particularly ruin Hyundai’s programme, the Japanese’s retirement, on the other hand, risks being much heavier.
Katsuta retired at the end of SS5, when he was in second position in the general classification behind Lappi by 34″1. However, the radiator failure was caused by a driver error, who ended up crashing into a snow bank which bordered the roadway of the event.For the record, the Finnish event was won by Jari Huttunen at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia R5 and co-driven by Antti Haapala.
No problem however for Ott Tanak. The 2019 world champion in turn needs to do kilometers at the wheel of the Ford Puma Rally1 EcoBoost Hybrid, in fact he raced at Otepää talveralli, in Estonia, comfortably winning the event with a 2’44″1 lead over the first of his rivals , compatriot Georg Linnamae on Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Tanak had an easy life winning all 8 of the special stages scheduled for the event, but above all he was able to complete 110 timed kilometers in order to improve his feeling with the Puma in view of the Swedish Rally, a race in which he could say his date his good starting position in the special stages of the first stage.
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Ott Tänak, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Photo by: M-Sport
