Sebastien Ogier slips out of the lead at Rally Mexico after Esapekka Lappi crashes

Rally Mexico may be merciless to its participants. He proved it again on Saturday in the first special of the day. So boss, awesome friday at his duel with Sebastien Ogier, Esapekka Lappi is sorely mistaken. In quick succession, the Finn lost control of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, first hitting the rear right before turning.

Bad luck, an electric pole was traveling down the track, stopping Laby’s rally in its tracks and putting the crew in a dangerous position since a fire broke out next, as the fire extinguisher in the #4 car was not enough to stop it. As a bonus, sparks are seen on the pylon but Lappy as Jan Ferme, his assistant, manages to escape the accident undamaged.

At the same time, Sebastien Ogier crossed the finish line with the best time in front of Elfyn Evans, his Toyota teammate. The Frenchman now has a 27” lead over the Welshman. “I’m really disappointed with Esapekka, Augier confirmed upon arrival. He was doing a really great job and was really fast yesterday. It’s a shame because the fight was beautiful. »

Third, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was about 40 seconds behind. Behind, Cali Rovanpera, the reigning world champion, is over a minute behind. Margins are starting to be important but with eight more segments ticking into the program on Saturday, anything could happen.