After using the first half of the season to gain experience in the Toyota Rally1 car, higher expectations are now set for this week’s Rally Estonia and the upcoming Rally Finland in a couple of weeks. Pajari finished fourth in Finland last summer in his Rally1 debut.
Though Estonia’s fast gravel roads are familiar territory for Pajari from many years of competition, the Lahti-born driver isn’t approaching the event with a high-risk mindset.
“These are the kinds of rallies where, if you even slightly hold back, you fall behind quickly. The gaps are usually very small, and especially with such high-speed stages, you really need to have everything under control. If you start hesitating even a little, you’ll lose time straight away,” Pajari told RallyJournal.com.
Juha Kankkunen, who is overseeing Toyota operations in Estonia this weekend, expressed confidence in Pajari’s pace, saying he expects the young Finn’s base speed to carry him far. The praise didn’t go unnoticed.
“He’s not exactly a fool when it comes to commenting on these things. I do appreciate what he said—so from that perspective, the feeling is good. The car felt pretty good on the shakedown too, so nothing to complain about there,” Pajari noted.
“The weather could make things interesting. But overall, the feeling is positive. There’s no pressure to go out and force anything. These kinds of rallies are typically decided by small margins. It’s hard to predict the result, but if I’m closer to the front, that’s a good thing.”
Pajari is expected to face a tough challenge from Oliver Solberg, who is debuting in Toyota’s Rally1 car in Estonia. Solberg competed in Hyundai’s top-tier car during the 2021–22 seasons but has since been racing in WRC2. His strong performances made a return to the highest level only a matter of time.
Pajari doesn’t feel that he absolutely has to beat Solberg—but doing so would be a positive sign.
“I don’t think I necessarily have to beat him, but obviously it would be good. There are others to compare pace with too. Our situations are quite different,” Pajari reflected.
“Last year in Jyväskylä, I really had to prove myself, which led to more rallies. I’m sure he’s thinking along the same lines for this rally.”
“For me, there’s no pressure to succeed in this one event. He has driven a Rally1 car before, even if it’s been a couple of years. Overall, he’s had more seat time in Rally1 than I have. Of course, people will definitely compare our pace.”
Pajari gives himself a solid grade for the first half of the season. His best result so far is fourth place in Kenya, and he’s finished seventh three times.
“We’ve taken steady steps forward. That’s been the biggest thing for me—my approach has been pretty cautious. Sometimes that’s made it hard to summon the same fire. In previous years, I was always trying to push for the top, but now I’ve taken a more measured approach. Hopefully, that gradually shifts toward a performance focus. And maybe then the feeling will also improve. Still, I don’t think it’s been a bad year at all.”
