Pajari clipped the rear corner of his car when he spun on the opening stage of the morning. Something was clearly damaged on the car, as Pajari lost nearly a minute on the second stage of the morning.
At the same time, Pajari lost ground in the overall standings and dropped to eighth place, as Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta and Rally2 drivers Nikolay Gryazin and Oliver Solberg moved ahead.
“I’m just playing it safe. It shouldn’t be too big a problem, but we’ll have to check the situation again on the road section. It’s not quite right,” Pajari explained.
Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä was the fastest on the Porto San Paolo stage. This bodes well for the Finn, as the same stage will be run as the Power Stage at the end of the rally in the afternoon. In the overall standings, Rovanperä remains firmly in third place. In fourth, behind Rovanperä, is championship leader Elfyn Evans, almost four minutes adrift.
“It went quite well. There was really good grip, but the conditions were difficult. It feels like on the narrow sections you can’t get anywhere. Our tyre strategy wasn’t the best possible, but we still have to get through a long stage to the finish,” Rovanperä reflected.
In the battle for victory, Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier still holds the upper hand over Hyundai’s Ott Tänak. Ogier leads the Estonian by 19.7 seconds.
“Everything is fine. In the last corner, I had the wrong line and went through the bushes,” Ogier sighed.
The fight for the WRC2 class lead was turned on its head when Emil Lindholm went off the road near the end of the stage. Lindholm had been driving cautiously to secure the win, but the car ended up in the trees after a crest. Following Lindholm’s mistake, Lauri Joona moved into the WRC2 class lead.
Gryazin and Solberg have been the fastest Rally2 drivers in Sardinia, but the pair are not competing for class points. Behind Joona in WRC2, Polish veteran Kajetan Kajetanowicz is in second place, just 11.1 seconds behind the Finn.
Two more special stages remain to be run in Rally Sardinia on Sunday.
Standings in Rally Sardinia after SS14/16:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 3:03:48.8 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +19.7 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1:06.3 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +5:02.5 |
| 5. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +7:09.7 |
| 6. | Nikolai Grjazin | Skoda | +7:10.1 |
| 7. | Oliver Solberg | Toyota | +7:21.4 |
| 8. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +7:36.2 |
| 9. | Lauri Joona | Skoda | +9:35.6 |
| 10. | Kajetan Kajetanowicz | Skoda | +9:46.7 |
Super Sunday Standings:
| POS. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | 31:01.9 |
| 2. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +8.6 |
| 3. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +10.8 |
| 4. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +29.2 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +39.5 |
Rally Sardinia itinerary (CET):
Thursday 5.6.
14.01 Shakedown: Olbia Cabu Abbas (2,19 km)
Friday 6.6.
10.01 SS1: Arzachena 1 (13,97 km)
11.16 SS2: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 1 (18,43 km)
12.31 SS3: Sa Conchedda 1 (27,95 km)
15.05 Service (40 min)
16.31 SS4: Arzachena 2 (13,97 km)
17.46 SS5: Telti - Calangianus - Berchidda 2 (18,43 km)
19.01 SS6: Sa Conchedda 2 (27,95 km)
Saturday 7.6.
10.05 SS7: Coiluna - Loelle 1 (21,18 km)
11.16 SS8: Lerno - Su Filigosu 1 (24,34 km)
12.31 SS9: Tula - Erula 1 (15,28 km)
14.20 Service (40 min)
16.05 SS10: Coiluna - Loelle 2 (21,18 km)
17.16 SS11: Lerno - Su Filigosu 2 (24,34 km)
18.31 SS12: Tula - Erula 2 (15,28 km)
Sunday 8.6.
08.25 SS13: San Giacomo - Plebi 1 (25,19 km)
09.35 SS14: Porto San Paolo 1 (13,70 km)
11.50 SS15: San Giacomo - Plebi 2 (25,19 km)
13.30 Service (15 min)
14.15 SS16: Porto San Paolo 2 (13,70 km) *Power Stage
