The Finn, in his first full season at the top level of the World Rally Championship with Toyota, has mainly been focused on gaining experience in the Rally1 car this year. As a result, Pajari hasn’t always pushed flat out, and his results have been somewhat modest.
But on the gravel roads of Chile, Pajari has decided to go on the attack. At the end of the opening day, the Toyota driver sits fourth overall, just 11.2 seconds behind rally leader Adrien Fourmaux. Ahead of him are reigning champion Thierry Neuville and team-mate Sébastien Ogier.
In the morning loop Pajari struggled to find his rhythm, but in the afternoon his pace improved considerably. He even set a fastest stage time to firmly put himself in the fight for the top places.
“Somehow the feeling was not quite there in the morning. Then the condition was a little bit different for the afternoon loop, and we did some really small fine tuning with the car. Somehow then it started to feel that everything was coming together, and we even managed to take one fastest stage time,” Pajari explained.
“Now to be after the first day 10 seconds or something away from the lead, I think it’s a really positive day. Even if the morning was not the best, we managed to catch up in the afternoon.”
Saturday could bring a whole new challenge. Forecasts suggest rain will fall overnight in the Concepción region, which could mean mud and slippery conditions, especially during the morning stages.
“Then you need double the amount of sisu,” Pajari quipped.
“I think it’s going to be really, really tricky. And most likely the fog is there as well. So it can be really totally different than today.”
Despite the tough outlook, Pajari has a clear plan with a maiden WRC podium within his reach.
“We are really in the fight and we are not giving up.”
