ŠKODA top talent Esapekka Lappi and his co-driver Janne Ferm will go all out to collect points for the Czech factory team at the 55th Rally Sanremo. It will be the Finnish duo’s second race for ŠKODA in this year’s FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) following the Barum Rally in the Czech Republic. Jan Kopecký (CZ) – who has already been named European Champion 2013* – will support the ŠKODA team at the classic event on 11 and 12 October.
“We’re really looking forward to taking part in another asphalt rally and improving our performance there,” said Lappi. “We put in a few good times at ŠKODA’s home event in Zlín, but then we failed to make it across the line. We want to do better than that in the classic rally in Sanremo, of course,” added the 22-year-old.
The winner of last year’s Finnish Rally Championship was forced to retire early from the 2013 Barum Rally due to damage to his car’s safety cage, having previously recorded top times. 22-year-old Lappi has also bagged two wins in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) so far this year. In Sanremo, the Finn will be able to incorporate a few tips from his experienced team-mate Kopecký, who has already won the ERC overall standings with six victories and will experience the rally from the spectator’s perspective this time.
The drivers’ accommodation for the legendary Rally Sanremo is near the famous casino. The event will really put both man and machine to the test, as it does every year. All ten Special Stages are held in the space of just over 28 hours on narrow asphalt tracks which wind their way up the mountains, offering a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean. Spectacular rallying action is guaranteed during the 232.91-kilometre rally and Lappi hopes to take centre stage with his ŠKODA Fabia S2000.
* Subject to official confirmation by the FIA