Esapekka Lappi may not have found his best rhythm at Rally Chile, but one thing always brings a smile to his face: co-driver Enni Malkonen. The Toyota driver admits that Malkonen's enthusiasm gives him a morale boost amid the tough WRC competition.
Lappi currently sits sixth, over three minutes behind the leader. Since Friday, he has faced technical issues and struggled to find confidence. "I don't really know why the feeling is better today, but the road is definitely cleaning. What I can say is that driving sideways is a lot of fun," he said.
Despite losing time, Malkonen remains cheerful at every stage finish. "Hard to say how much (it helps), but for sure it does. It's nice to hear but I cannot see her when we finish the stage. I don't know if she is excited that we managed to finish or just from some other things," Lappi said. "Either way, she's smiling, and I can always hear that at the finish. It's really positive."
Tyre management is also crucial in Chile. Although the FIA granted additional tyres, Lappi believes wear is relatively low for cars running first on the road. "Our tyres weren't in bad condition, so I believe the benefit will be more apparent in the afternoon. The drivers running further down the road order probably benefited from it a lot," he explained. "But for us, because we have to sweep the road, tyre wear isn't as high on the first loop. So I wouldn't say it gave us any huge advantage."
With a long rally ahead, Lappi hopes to capitalise on the cleaning roads to move up the order. However, he knows the gap to the leaders is too large to close quickly. His focus now is on consistency and scoring maximum points.
"I just want to enjoy every stage and see what we can achieve. The important thing is to keep learning and not make mistakes," he concluded. Malkonen's spirit will continue to fuel Lappi for the rest of the rally.
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