Lappi and Bertelli make their Rally1 debut in Sweden
Lappi (above) will make his first appearance in a Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Yaris since returning to the Japanese manufacturer, which he left in 2018. Bertelli will drive a fourth Puma for the M-Sport Ford.
Eleven top cars have entered the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship season, which moves north to the Västerbotten region on Sweden’s east coast to guarantee snow and ice conditions.
M-Sport Ford, which tops the position of drivers and manufacturers after stealing the show at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo, has signed up for four Pumas. Craig Breen, Adrien Fourmaux and Gus Greensmith join Italian Bertelli.
Lappi, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä make up Toyota’s line-up, with Japanese Takamoto Katsuta listed for the manufacturer’s single-car Next Generation team.
Hyundai Shell Mobis line up in the same way as Monte-Carlo, with Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Oliver Solberg in i20 N machinery.
There is also a strong field in WRC2’s main support category, led by Monte-Carlo winner Andreas Mikkelsen in Toksports Skoda Fabia. The Norwegian is joined by Marco Bulacia, with Emil Lindholm and Nikolay Gryazin also as part of Toksport’s second string team.
M-Sport Ford will compete in WRC2 for the first time this year with Jari Huttunen and Sweden’s Mattias Adielsson in Fiesta Rally2 cars.
It will be Huttunen’s second appearance with the British team after debuting in the 2021 final at Monza, while Adielsson will make his first WRC start since 2018 and only his third overall. Georg Linnamäe makes his season debut in ALM Motorsport’s Volkswagen Polo GTI.
There are a number of strong private records further down the WRC2 field. Norway’s Ole Christian Veiby, Estonia’s Egon Kaur and Finn Eerik Pietarinen are listed in Polos, while Irish youngster Josh McErlean makes his season bow in a Hyundai i20 N. Bruno Bulacia, Marco’s younger brother, will make his first WRC start in another Fabia . He will be driven together by the experienced Marc Marti.
Video: Review of Rally Sweden 2020
Also listed is the former Suzuki driver and double FIA Junior World Champion PG Andersson. The Swede drives a Fiesta Rally2.
The WRC3 is filled with grants from the FIA Junior WRC Challenger, which is taking the step from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive Fiesta Rally3 cars this year.
Ex-Ford factory driver Stig Andervang takes on his first WRC event since 1988 in a Fabia.