Esapekka Lappi, who concluded his active career this season, emphasized when announcing his retirement that he had no intention of leaving rallying altogether. The former WRC driver is now channeling his wealth of experience into mentoring rising stars in the motorsport world.
Lappi and young driver Lauri Halonen first began working together last season. With his own competitive driving commitments now behind him, Lappi finally has the dedicated time required to properly shape the next generation of rally drivers.
Despite his elite background, Lappi remains pragmatic about where his coaching expertise will provide the most value, noting to Rally Journal that technical evolution in front-wheel-drive machinery means Halonen already excels in certain traditional environments.
"In practical terms, when I think about where I can help, I don’t have a great deal to say about driving a front-wheel-drive car on snow or gravel rallies in Finland. It has been so long since I drove one myself, and the cars have changed so much as well. Lauri handles that side of things perfectly well, so there is no issue there," Lappi explained regarding his mentorship approach.
Halonen is set to continue competing in the Finnish Rally Championship’s SM3 class next season aboard a Peugeot 208 Rally4. The upcoming 17-year-old talent is aggressively building international competition experience ahead of the domestic championship kickoff.
Last weekend, Halonen contested his maiden asphalt rally in Croatia, with another European event scheduled in Slovenia. It is precisely within the demanding realm of asphalt events where Lappi’s specialized technical knowledge becomes indispensable.
"But then there is asphalt, making pacenotes and everything else. It is about making sure all the terminology is right, knowing what each word means and what they need to be prepared for. In asphalt rallies, you have to identify every change in the surface and other similar things. I want them to be on the right track from the outset so they do not have to learn everything the hard way. For example, I don’t want a surface change to be left out of the pacenotes and cause them to go off," Lappi detailed.
While Lappi does not plan on attending every single round on the calendar, their professional paths will naturally cross frequently in the Finnish Rally Championship. Because Halonen competes under the RTE-Motorsport banner, Lappi's stake as a team owner adds another layer to their working dynamic.
"We have a company running those cars, after all, so perhaps I’ll be there in the role of team principal," Lappi said with a grin.
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