Competing in a Toyota Rally2 car, Pajari claimed his first victory of the season in the Rally Sardinia at the beginning of June. This weekend, he continued in Poland where he left off on the Mediterranean island.
Pajari seized the lead in the fast gravel rally in the WRC2 class right from the first special stage on Friday morning. The promising Finn never relinquished his position thereafter.
Pajari consistently posted top times stage after stage, but Polish veteran Kajetan Kajetanowicz did not let the Toyota driver get away easily. Eventually, Kajetanowicz made a mistake on Saturday, allowing Pajari to slightly ease his pace.
“I’m feeling very relieved. I drove flat out from start to finish. Now that we’ve secured a couple of sweet wins in a row, it feels really good,” Pajari enthused.
Pajari secured his second victory of the season by 22 seconds over Oliver Solberg. Skoda driver Solberg struggled with his car at the start of the race but improved his pace as the competition progressed and climbed up the ranks.
Estonian Robert Virves finished third in the WRC2 category, ahead of his compatriot Georg Linnamäe.
Pajari and his co-driver Enni Mälkönen further boosted their standings in the WRC2 points table. Yohan Rossel, who did not participate in Poland, remains at the top, but Pajari is now just three points behind the Frenchman. Both have competed in four points-scoring events this season.
Pajari’s season continues in mid-July at the Rally Latvia. The original plan was for Pajari to compete in Latvia for the first time in a Toyota Rally1 car, but it was ultimately decided to postpone his debut in the WRC’s main category to the Finnish round.
