The first stage of the 2024 Safari Rally was almost tragic from a sporting point of view for Hyundai Motorsport. In the space of two stages – SS5 and SS6 – Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tanak lost, with only Thierry Neuville remaining in the race for a podium position.
Lappi was the unluckiest driver not only for Hyundai, but of the entire day due to a transmission failure on his i20 N Rally1. The Finn was forced to stop at kilometer 9.8 of the SS5 with a broken gearbox, although Lappi defined the fault in a much more colorful way.
“The gearbox exploded,” said Lappi once he returned to the Nairobi Service Park. “Before it broke down, the car started going with only 2-wheel drive. I didn't feel any noise, no impact. It just started going that way.”
“About two hundred meters ahead, the car was no longer pushing. It didn't matter whether I was in fifth or first gear. Even at that moment I didn't feel any impact.”
“I certainly felt some impacts during the previous tests, but we are all in the same conditions. So there was nothing that could cause this problem. It's really frustrating.”
Ott Tänak, Martin Järveoja, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Fabien Dufour / Hyundai Motorsport
It didn't go any better for Ott Tanak, who retired at kilometer 3.2 of the next special stage due to a rock found in the middle of his path which sent him into a bank of dirt on the outside of a left-hand bend. For the 2019 world champion, this is the third retirement in the first 3 races of the season.
“It's something that happens quite often at the Safari. The rock was in a position where it was difficult to see, it was hidden, and I couldn't react or do anything. At that point the road was narrow with earthen walls delimiting it” .
“I had no alternative. Either take the rock, or go straight out. But the rock was too big and catapulted us out. I don't think the rock did too much damage to the car, while the earth wall on the outside of the bend did he really did it.”
Hyundai remains in the race with only Neuville, although the Belgian made it known that he is not at all calm after the breakdown that stopped Lappi at the start of today's afternoon lap.
“We will continue to fight. Obviously it's not nice to see two teammates retire and another difficult day for Hyundai in Kenya. It's hard to have full confidence in the car when you know what problem stopped Lappi, also because in some places the bottom it's really abrasive, rough and treacherous. I don't want to run into the same problems”, concluded the Belgian.
#WRC #Lappi #talks #retirement #gearbox #exploded
