Esapekka Lappi has had a successful career in the World Rally Championship and has won two events, including Rally Sweden earlier this year.
The Finnish driver has only competed in four rallies so far this season, kicking off with the victory in Sweden before three lacklustre results.
Heading into the next event at Rally Chile, Lappi will be looking to finish the rally, which he failed to do last season in the WRC.
The final gravel rally of the season is very different to other rallies on the calendar with loose gravel making up most of the stages.
Lappi explained when speaking to the official WRC website that Rally Chile is made difficult by its blind crests which requires a lot of work to be put into the pace notes.
Esapekka Lappi warns that Rally Chile’s surface requires ‘perfect pace notes’ in the WRC
Rally Chile has been dominated by Estonian driver Ott Tanak, who has won the only two WRC events in the nation so far.
The rally features a mix of smooth and abrasive surfaces requiring the drivers to be adaptable as the surface changes across the stages.
The pace notes are vitally important in rallying, as the co-driver gives the drivers concise information about the upcoming turns.
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Lappi warned that the pace notes are going to have to be at a very high level over the event to maximise their performance.
He said: “The surface [in Chile] is quite unique. There is a lot of loose gravel, but it can also be abrasive when the road section begins to be cleaned.
“A good set-up and perfect pace notes are crucial to fast times at this event. We need a lot of stability and traction from the car, and because of the crests, corners and banks, it can be hard to see where the road is going.”
Rally Chile can offer unpredictable weather during the WRC event
Rally Chile is situated between the Anded mountain range and the Pacific coast and it may feature some unpredictable weather.
This may cause chaos in the championship battle as Thierry Neuville leads the standings over Tanak with three rounds to go.
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Both drivers have been very impressive over the season, and Tanak will be heading into Rally Chile with confidence after winning the rally last year.
There will also be a change in the entry list with Sami Pajari stepping in to replace Takamoto Katsuta at Toyota at Rally Chile.