The duo secured the title after finishing second in Rally Japan. Pajari climbed to the top of the WRC2 standings, edging out Oliver Solberg by just three points.
The rally didn’t start in the best way for Pajari, as he suffered a puncture on the second special stage on Friday. However, he managed to maintain his second place and kept his composure throughout the rest of the rally.
Pajari and Mälkönen celebrated their championship win at the finish line of the Power Stage.
“It’s really nice, nice feeling. Big relief, after two days of driving a bit slowly, taking care of everything, don’t do anything silly and reach the finish line,” Pajari said with a sigh of relief.
Pajari extended his gratitude to Mälkönen and the Printsport team, which ran him in Toyota’s Rally2 car this season.
“We did this together,” Pajari emphasised.
“It’s been a really good season for us, with a few victories along the way. I must admit, things have gone pretty well.”
Toyota introduced its new Rally2 car this season, and under Pajari’s guidance, it proved to be highly competitive. Pajari secured three WRC2 wins during the season and was rewarded with the championship title.
This year, Pajari also competed in three WRC events driving Toyota’s Rally1 car. Strong rumours suggest that he might take on a bigger role in the top category next season.
Oliver Solberg, who finished second in the WRC2 championship, did not participate in Rally Japan, having already completed his points-scoring events earlier. Nikolay Gryazin, who claimed victory in WRC2 at Rally Japan, moved up to third in the final standings, surpassing French driver Yohan Rossel.
