Pajari made his Rally1 debut at Rally Finland in August, where, after a slightly slow start, he found an excellent pace. The Finnish driver achieved an impressive fourth-place finish.
At last week’s Rally Chile, Pajari once again demonstrated his skill. In a less familiar event for him, he drove nearly at the same pace as the leaders on the first day, though he slightly eased off in the following days due to the tough conditions. Still, he secured a solid sixth-place finish.
Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala couldn’t help but praise Toyota’s rising star.
“He did what we wanted him to do. We couldn’t ask for more. We wanted him to have a consistent run, and we could see that he has the speed,” Latvala assessed.
“He said he could go faster, but I told him there’s no point in this situation. We just wanted him to get more kilometres and feel more comfortable with the car.”
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But what lies ahead for Pajari? In two weeks, Pajari will once again compete in Toyota’s Rally1 car at Central European Rally. In the season-ending Rally Japan, he will switch to Toyota’s Rally2 car, with which he is fighting for the WRC2 title.
Latvala’s comments suggest that plans are already in motion behind the scenes to secure a deal that would give Pajari more Rally1 outings next season.
“When you take steps like this, there will be more steps to climb in the future. Based on what we’ve seen, I’d be very encouraged to see him driving more and more events next year,” Latvala hinted.
Is that hinting at something?
“There are some discussions, but no decisions yet,” was Latvala’s response.
Toyota has not yet announced its full driver lineup for next season. It is possible that Pajari could share driving duties in one of Toyota’s Rally1 cars, perhaps alongside Sebastien Ogier.
