After completing 12 special stages, Pajari leads the WRC2 class by 32.6 seconds ahead of Estonian driver Robert Virves. Oliver Solberg holds third place in the class, trailing the leader by 35.5 seconds.
Pajari extended his lead in the morning’s third stage when Poland’s Kajetan Kajetanowicz collided heavily with his Škoda, forcing him to retire.
“It was a successful morning. We were able to significantly increase our lead. I have to be satisfied with that,” said Pajari, who secured his season’s opening victory in Sardinia at the beginning of June.
“Kajto showed this morning how a small mistake can end everything. There were serious consequences in that situation. Now, we’ll try to stay on the road ourselves,” Pajari continued.
As the afternoon loop progresses, the roads have become rutted. However, Pajari doesn’t find this to be a significant problem in the Polish gravel rally.
“I’m not sure. You can’t really play it safe here. Fortunately, the ruts aren’t getting too bad here, and there aren’t very hard impacts on the car,” said Pajari.
“Still, we can’t start being cautious. Yesterday afternoon went really well, fortunately. The pace wasn’t any worse than in the morning. That way, I can be confident.”
The Rally Poland will continue on Saturday with three more special stages. The competition concludes on Sunday.
WRC2 class standings at the Rally Poland, after SS12/19:
1. Sami Pajari Toyota 1:35:15.8 2. Robert Virves Skoda +32.6 3. Oliver Solberg Skoda +35.5 4. Josh McErlean Skoda +41.4 5. P-L Loubet Skoda +44.6 6. Nikolay Gryazin Citroen +50.8 7. Miko Marczyk Skoda +1:06.9 8. Georg Linnamäe Toyota +1:08.4 9. Lauri Joona Skoda +1:12.7 10. Gus Greensmith Skoda +1:17.7 11. Roope Korhonen Toyota +1:20.2
