The next round of the WRC season takes place next week in Kenya. The iconic Safari Rally presents a tough challenge for drivers.
For the first time, the Rally1 cars will compete on gravel in Kenya with Hankook tyres. As a result, last week’s test was extremely important for the Toyota drivers.
Due to regulations, teams must conduct their tests in Europe.
“Actually, our test plan is quite clever, I would say. I think the conditions we have now in Portugal are not too far from the conditions in Kenya,” said Pajari, who was the last Toyota driver to take part in the session.
Pajari slightly disagreed with his teammate Elfyn Evans, who had tested earlier. Championship leader Evans stated that Kenya’s conditions cannot be replicated in Europe, though he emphasised the importance of getting back to gravel driving after a long break.
Read more: Toyota star ran into difficulties – was there any benefit from the tests?
“Of course, this is not exactly like it is there (in Kenya), but still tricky enough – at least that’s how it feels to me,” Pajari said.
Pajari is set to compete in Safari Rally for the first time. Last year, he took part in reconnaissance for the event.
“I had the last test day for the team, so it’s nice that the other guys had already done a great job with the setup. I’m feeling quite happy,” Pajari noted.
Watch the video of Pajari and Katsuta’s test below. Article continues after the video.
Pajari’s teammate Takamoto Katsuta achieved an impressive result in the previous WRC round, finishing second in Sweden. He is also expected to perform well in Kenya, having secured three podium finishes at the event.
According to Katsuta, his test day in Portugal was successful.
“It’s been quite nice – some rain in the morning with wet conditions, then it started drying up, so we got to try both conditions.”
“So it’s quite nice to at least get a feel for these rough conditions before Kenya, to see how they affect the tyres and also the feeling inside the cockpit. This was basically what we were working on, and it feels quite good,” Katsuta reported.
Safari Rally Kenya takes place on 20–23 March.
