Yohan Rossel, driving for Citroën, was in excellent form throughout the morning in the WRC2 class, building a clear lead over Sami Pajari.
However, in the final stage of the afternoon, Rossel suffered a puncture, which temporarily elevated Pajari to the class lead. Estonia’s Robert Virves, though, overtook the Finn by 11.1 seconds on the last stage of the day, meaning Saturday will start with the Estonian in control.
Friday at Acropolis Rally was filled with drama across the board.
“There’s been quite a bit of attrition in the main class, and of course, we’ve had our share of incidents in our class too,” Pajari recounted.
In terms of pace, Pajari admitted his day was a disappointment, even though he’s now back in the fight for the class victory.
“In my opinion, it wasn’t a very good day result-wise,” Pajari said frankly.
“It was a bit of a struggle. You can’t afford to push too hard because that’s when the problems start coming,” he added.
The stages in Greece have been in particularly rough condition. This leaves drivers in a tough spot—wanting to push hard but knowing they can’t risk damaging the car and losing their shot at a good result.
“In certain spots, caution has come automatically because the stages have been in such bad shape,” Pajari explained.
“The rally didn’t start well with the puncture right away, but it’s been tough overall. This year, some stages might be in exceptionally bad condition. You really have to be careful,” he continued.
Pajari remains well-positioned in the battle for the WRC2 class victory, which would significantly boost his standings in the championship. However, he is cautious about looking too far ahead.
“Of course, good points are on offer, but I wouldn’t think that far ahead yet. There are still two days of rallying left. Yohan also had a puncture in Sardinia, but he made a fantastic comeback there. If you try to force it here, more problems could arise, but you never know. He could still come back and catch up with us,” Pajari speculated.
Saturday will be another gruelling test in Greece, with six stages and only a brief tyre-fitting zone in between. Pajari’s approach remains unchanged.
“We’ll head out the same way as today. Now I just need to get some sleep, and tomorrow, right after my morning coffee, we’ll get back at it,” Pajari said in anticipation.
