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Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm retired from Rally Finland after their car hit a tree on a rutted stage.
Esapekka Lappi and his co-driver Janne Ferm faced a disappointing exit from the Secto Rally Finland today after a challenging encounter with a particularly rutted section of the Laukaa stage.
The duo, representing Hyundai, had their hopes dashed when their i20 N Rally1 made a costly impact with a tree forcing them to retire from the competition.
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20:04 - 31.07.2024
FIA WRC 2024: Ogier sends warning to rivals for revenge ahead of Rally Finland
Sébastien Ogier will be aiming for redemption at Rally Finland seeking victory after a strong second-place finish at Tet Rally Latvia.
The incident occurred on the first stage out of service where the Finnish team encountered severe ruts that even rally legend Sébastien Ogier had described as terrible.
While navigating through these challenging conditions Lappi's vehicle bounced violently and struck a tree with its rear-right side.
The force was such that it dragged the front of the car into another tree causing significant damage that ended their rally prematurely.
The aftermath was a somber moment for the team as Lappi relayed the unfortunate news in a post on his social media pages.
"Secto Rally Finland SS6 hit a tree, have to retire. Crew OK.," it read.
This setback came on what has been a brutal Friday for several competitors.
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20:16 - 23.07.2024
Why Martiņs Sesks is the name on everyone's lips after Rally Latvia
The 24-year-old M-Sport driver impressed at Tet Rally Latvia winning stages and earning accolades for his performance despite a late mechanical issue.
Earlier in the day, Lappi's Hyundai teammate Ott Tänak crashed on SS3, and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who had been vying with Lappi for the fourth position, also exited after colliding with a tree.
Despite the Finnish team's exit the rally continued with intense competition.
Kalle Rovanper upheld national pride by performing exceptionally in SS6 where he increased his lead from a mere 0.2 seconds to 4.7 seconds.
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19:45 - 21.07.2024
Sensational Kalle Rovanpera powers past favorite Sebastien Ogier to win Rally Latvia
Kalle Rovanpera clinched a dominant victory at Tet Rally Latvia revisiting his early racing roots for a memorable win.
Rovanpera kept his technical adjustments under wraps, cheekily remarking they were "secret ones" when asked about changes made during the service to enhance his performance.
Meanwhile, Sami Pajari, who also suffered from an earlier mishap, made a significant recovery.
After sustaining rear damage from a tree during his first pass of Laukaa, Pajari returned much stronger on his second pass recording the second-fastest time behind Rovanpera.
Follow us on X (Twitter) for more updates.
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