After eight special stages, Pajari is in 12th place overall and fourth in the Rally2 class at the end of the first day of rallying.
“As the day went on, the feeling improved and the conditions were quite stable. I felt good in the car and was pretty relaxed,” Pajari summed up his day.
Throughout the day, Pajari found an increasingly better balance in his driving.
“My judgment kept improving, and I was constantly learning the spots where you can push hard and where you can’t,” Pajari explained.
Like the premier class, the WRC2 class in Croatia has the benefit of using gravel crews. These second-class drivers don’t have much experience with them.
“It’s gone surprisingly well,” Pajari said.
“Maybe in Monte Carlo, I was a bit unsure about some of the notes. Here, they have been quite clear to understand, and so far, it’s been going well in that regard.”
Croatia’s spring has offered a variety of weather conditions. Rain is forecasted for tomorrow, Saturday. Driving in the rain in Croatia is extremely challenging.
“It was supposed to rain today, and then it wasn’t, and in between, it even snowed a bit. I haven’t even seen what the forecast is for tomorrow, but we’ll go with whatever comes,” Pajari dismissed.
Driving a Skoda, Lauri Joona is in 15th place overall and seventh in the WRC2 class after Friday. His day included several different phases between morning and afternoon.
“The weather changed for the afternoon, and so did the tires. This was my first time trying the hard tire. It felt quite good. It responds much better than the soft tire, but of course, it cools down a bit at the cutting spots and locks up a little. Otherwise, it was OK. The last stage came a bit too cautiously since there are many cutting spots,” Joona reviewed his day.
“That’s why I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks, and it came off a bit too cautiously. Otherwise, the day was, in my opinion, on an upward trend,” he continued.
Croatia is such a rally that there is no room for caution. Otherwise, you fall mercilessly behind.
“You notice it even during the stage sometimes, that you’ve eased off a bit. Then you usually know it if you notice something like that yourself. If you don’t think about it, usually the clock likes it. You should always just floor it,” Joona said.
Joona also faced the potential threat of rain very calmly.
“I haven’t really driven in the wet here much. It would add more challenge, but we’ll take whatever comes. It would be good to get experience in that too,” Joona concluded.
The Rally Croatia continues tomorrow, Saturday, with eight special stages. The competition ends on Sunday.
