Esapekka Lappi will not restart on Rally México following his SS11 crash given the damage sustained to his Hyundai i20 N Rally1.
Lappi was leading as he started the first pass of Ibarrilla – the 11th stage of the rally – but lost the rear-end which sent him into a 180 degree spin, hitting an electrical pole in the process.
This destroyed the rear of the car, and to make matters worse a fire broke out in the engine bay, which took some time to extinguish.
Given the time it would take to repair the car, Hyundai have decided to end Lappi’s weekend there, meaning he will not return to action on Sunday.
The incident also led to the cancelation of SS15 due to “time constraints” in clearing up the route.
Sébastien Ogier took the lead of the rally following Lappi’s crash, and currently holds a 28.5 second advantage over teammate Elfyn Evans.
