Pajari had been delivering a strong performance on the island of Gran Canaria, but he made a mistake on the penultimate stage of the day.
He approached a corner with too much speed and struck the roadside barrier with the right-hand side of his Toyota. Pajari limped on for a short distance but ultimately had to call it a day. The car’s front-right wheel and suspension had been torn off.
Initial reports suggested that Pajari’s car could be repaired for Sunday. Indeed, on Saturday evening, the organisers published the start list for the final day of the asphalt rally – and Pajari’s name was included.
However, during the night, a revised start list was issued, and Pajari’s name had been crossed out. This confirmed that the Finnish Toyota driver would not be able to fight for Super Sunday points.
Toyota soon confirmed, following the publication of the updated start list, that Pajari would not be rejoining the rally. The team had attempted repairs in service, but the damage was too extensive, leading to retirement.
Before his crash, Pajari had been running fourth overall. Throughout Friday and Saturday, he had posted highly competitive stage times, staying ahead of Hyundai stars Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.
Toyota still holds a commanding 1-2-3-4 formation ahead of Sunday’s final five stages. Kalle Rovanperä has dominated the rally and will start the final day with a healthy lead.
Behind Rovanperä, Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta occupy the following positions.
