Pajari had found a strong rhythm on the asphalt roads of Gran Canaria and was holding fourth place overall. He made a quick start on the penultimate stage of the day – but disaster struck towards the end of the run.
Pajari clipped the roadside barrier with his Toyota, bringing his rally to an abrupt halt.
“I guess a bit too fast into this one long corner, which I know is like a long tightens corner, but it tightened a bit more somehow. I don’t have any good explanation because in the morning there was no drama on this corner,” a disappointed Pajari recounted.
“In my opinion, I did the same as in the morning, but we just simply had too much speed and hit the fence.”
Before Pajari’s crash, Toyota was dominating the rally with an impressive 1-2-3-4-5 formation. Due to Pajari’s retirement, Toyota now “only” leads with four cars heading into Sunday’s final stages.
Despite the mistake, Pajari had shown positive signs of his potential earlier in the rally. All of Hyundai’s star drivers were behind him on the leaderboard before his exit.
“Of course, it’s always a shame it goes this way, but I guess if we are starting to match the times, what few world champions are doing, that means that we are starting to be on a quite proper level,” Pajari reflected, referring to Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, who have been struggling with their car setup in Gran Canaria.
“And then things like this happen so, so easily. It’s not warning you – you feel that everything is under control and then one corner it slips away. That’s the name of the game.”
Late on Saturday evening local time, it was confirmed that Pajari would not be able to continue in the rally on Sunday, when five more stages are scheduled.
Read more: Heartbreaking news for Sami Pajari during the night
