Last weekend, Munster faced his latest disappointment at the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Competing under the Luxembourg flag, Munster could have been fighting for the best finish of his career in the challenging gravel race, but his event ended with a trip into the ditch.
The Acropolis Rally took a toll on the field, with only four drivers in the top class finishing the weekend without retiring. Among them was Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier, though he rolled his car on the final stage, dropping him far behind the leaders.
Munster made his mistake on Saturday, running wide on a corner, leaving his Ford Puma Rally1 car stuck. His rally was over, as M-Sport confirmed the car’s roll cage had been damaged.
“We’re disappointed of course, I think the rally was going well for us despite some small issues on the first day and the punctures. Even on the second day, the pace in the morning was encouraging and then we had this off,” Munster recapped.
Munster has competed in all ten WRC rallies this season with a top-class car. His problematic season is reflected in the fact that he has accumulated only 23 points – an average of 2.3 points per rally. In comparison, championship leader Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville averages 19.2 points per event.
What’s embarrassing for Munster, currently 12th in the standings, is that Sami Pajari is ahead of him in the points. Finnish driver Pajari has mostly competed in the WRC2 category this season, starting eight of his nine WRC rallies in a Toyota Rally2 car. Pajari made his Rally1 debut in the top class at Rally Finland, finishing an impressive fourth.
Pajari has 34 points from nine rallies, averaging 3.8 points per race, and sits proudly in ninth place in the standings.
When comparing the nine rallies both Munster and Pajari have participated in, Munster has only managed to beat Pajari four times. Pajari, on the other hand, has outpaced Munster three times in a Rally2 car and once in a Rally1 car. Both drivers retired at Rally Portugal.
It’s safe to say that Munster’s season has not been a success, even though he’s still a rookie in the Rally1 car.
After the Acropolis Rally, Munster faces another period of reflection.
“A small mistake with big consequences, and it’s a shame because the team put a lot of resource into getting the car in the best condition as possible in this really rough event. So to not get a result in the end is a shame,” Munster stated.
“But we can’t rewind, we can just look forward to Chile and put everything in to get a good result there.”
The Chilean WRC round will take place on the last weekend of September. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Pajari will compete in Chile and at the Central European Rally in mid-October with Toyota’s Rally1 car.
Also read: Sami Pajari gets fantastic news – will drive two more WRC rallies with Toyota’s Rally1 car!
