Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm injected some Finnish magic into our prestigious end-of-season awards to carry off the Michelin Magic Moment with their top drawer ‘save’ in the snow and ice of Rally Sweden.

The Finnish driver loves the Scandinavian event’s fast and flowing roads, but even he would admit it was a close call when he tangled with the snowbanks in the second pass through the opening leg’s Hof-Finnskog special stage.

“I got caught by a short right-hander in fifth gear. I hit a bank and almost rolled,” explained the Citroën C3 driver, who topped our wrc.com fan poll and received his award in Coffs Harbour at Kennards Hire Rally Australia.

“It was a hell of a moment but luckily we made it through so thanks for voting and for the support.”

Other nominations for 2019’s magic moment were Gus Greensmith for extricating his Ford Fiesta from the bottom of a bank after rolling in Turkey, Dani Sordo for a dramatic last-gasp victory in Italy and Citroën Racing for a dream start to the manufacturer’s centenary celebrations by claiming its 100th WRC success in Monte-Carlo.

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