The Toyota driver had hoped for a smooth opening at Rally Monte Carlo in January, but the demanding event put Pajari in a difficult position.
Pajari retired once already on the opening day after damaging his car against a guardrail. He was able to continue, but the final retirement came on the third day of competition, when the Toyota slid off the road again.
Now Pajari must quickly put the disappointment behind him. That is the view of Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala.
“I was hoping that last year would have brought learning and development into this season. But the rally never really got going for him at any point. It was scrappy all the time. And then it eventually ended with a complete off,” Latvala told RallyJournal.com.
Latvala, who has competed in more WRC rounds than anyone else during his career, has faced more than his fair share of setbacks. He therefore knows exactly how Pajari needs to deal with the situation now.
“I drove a really terrible rally here myself in 2008. I remember how embarrassing it felt, having driven so badly. I hit a rock on the first day and later broke the suspension as well. Then we reset everything and went on to win in Sweden.”
“Now Sami is in a situation where he must take absolutely nothing from the Monte Carlo weekend with him. Everything has to be reset and put aside. He shouldn’t think at all about what happened in Monte, but focus one hundred per cent on Sweden,” Latvala instructed.
The next round of the World Rally Championship season will be held next week in Sweden.
