FIESTA IN WRC
The WRC season reached a conclusion 11 months after it began, and the M-Sport Fords remained fighting until the end
It’s been a stop-start season for the World Rally Championship. Unlike the circuit-based championships, which were due to start in spring and then delayed until mid-summer, the WRC actually got under way before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
The 2020 season began in Monte Carlo in January as usual, followed by events in Sweden in February and Mexico in March, before coming to halt for six months. The championship restarted again in September in Estonia.
After Estonia, the WRC headed to Rally Turkey, where M-Sport’s Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson secured their best results of the season so far. Known as the roughest event in the WRC, the Turkish fixture demands a unique blend of speed and caution – and that’s something Greensmith mastered while gaining vital knowledge and experience for the future.
Third fastest through the first run of Shakedown, the young Brit had already hinted at what he might be capable of during the weekend. And as others faltered, he gave the stages the respect they demand to bring home a strong top-five finish.
Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferme were on par with the leaders through both passes of Çetibeli, and on course for another good result – only to pick up a puncture through both stages. A damaged damper then prevented the Finns from mounting a challenge through the Power Stage, and they ended the event in sixth place overall.
Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen had their sights on another top finish too, and as the final-day drama unfolded a second podium of the year was a real possibility. Unfortunately, the young Finn would also suffer at the hands of the Çetibeli stage. Despite having the better of his rival, Suninen’s Fiesta sustained a broken rear damper, which forced him into an undeserved retirement.
The WRC then headed to Sardinia for the penultimate round of the season. Getting off to the perfect start, Suninen claimed an early lead on Friday morning and was a full second per kilometre quicker than anyone else through the opening speed test. Despite losing some aerodynamic aids and opting for a less advantageous tyre choice through the second pass, he maintained good pace and ended the day in a strong second place.
Embarking on the weekend stages, the flying Finn had his sights firmly set on a second podium of the year – adding to the third place he secured at Rally Mexico in March. But luck wasn’t on his side, and an issue with the handbrake on Saturday morning prevented a maximum attack – relegating him from second to fifth.
Gus Greensmith and Elliott Edmondson built on the great drive last time to outperform the championship contenders through a number of stages on Friday, but their charge was quite literally halted on Saturday. Following an unlucky impact with a rock on the line, they developed an electrical issue – losing charge through the stage and coming to a halt in a dip after the stop line. Putting their mechanical skills to the test, the youngsters were able to replace the alternator belt, but with no charge and no way of restarting their Fiesta, their day came to a frustrating end.
The final event of the 2020 season was back in Italy, at Monza between 4 and 6 December.
Just as Suninen did last time out at Rally Italia Sardegna, Esapekka Lappi proved that the Fiesta still has the pace to fight for the top results – leading the rally through the early stages and challenging for the win on the final action-packed event of the year.
Combining his circuit-racing experience with some inspired tyre choices throughout the weekend, Lappi was battling at the sharp end before luck played its hand and a series of small mistakes saw him fall from the fight at the front.
Unable to make the most of his superior tyre choice through the snow-covered mountain stages, and taking the wrong compound for Sunday morning’s opener, the podium positions slipped out of his grasp.
The M-Sport drivers finished sixth, seventh and 11th in an incredibly difficult and hardfought season. But with just a few weeks before the next season gets under way in Monte Carlo on 21 January, attention now turns to the 2021 campaign.