Pajari confirmed on Friday that he will be at the wheel of a Toyota at the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo. At the same time, the Finnish driver’s team will change to Printsport, which is a Toyota’s customer team.
Toyota does not have its own official team in the WRC2 class, as the car was developed purely for customer teams’ use. The Toyota WRC team, based in Finland, developed its Rally2 car for one and a half years. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) officially classified the car on January 1st. According to information, four Toyota Rally2 cars will be at the starting line of Rally Monte Carlo, one of which will be driven by Pajari.
Last year, Pajari competed in the WRC2 class with Toksport’s Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car. He showed his skill, and now Pajari faces a new exciting challenge.
“I believe in the future outlook. Toyota has manufactured winning cars, and that was one reason why I wanted to choose this car. I’m interested in the car’s competitiveness,” says Pajari, who has already had the opportunity to test the car.
“Toyota introduces only once a new Rally2 car to the market, so only once can I seize the opportunity and be the car’s first driver in a WRC competitive situation. The opportunity is so fantastic that I decided to grab it. It’s pretty cool,” Pajari explains.
Pajari, 22, won the JWRC championship in the 2021. Last year, he drove his first full season in the WRC2 class as a Toksport driver, achieving, among other things, a class win at Rally Finland.
“Toksport has been a fantastic place for me to develop as a driver in every way. The car has also performed well, and our cooperation has been smooth. I want to thank Toksport’s team principal, Serkan Duru, from the bottom of my heart for our time together,” Pajari praises.
Enni Mälkönen will continue as Pajari’s co-driver in the 2024 season. The duo has been competing together in the WRC since 2022.
