Pajari confident ahead of Rally Portugal

Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen are heading to the start of Rally Portugal well-prepared to chase their second set of points in the WRC2 class this season. From Sweden, the Finnish duo of Printsport Racing already holds a second place in their points tally.‍

To maintain their competitive edge, they participated in the Rally Croatia a couple of weeks ago, achieving third place on asphalt amongst the Rally2 cars, which was not a point-scoring event for them. In Portugal, the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 will be tested on the World Rally Championship's gravel roads for the first time.

This marks the fourth time Sami Pajari is competing in the Portuguese round of the WRC. The rally's roads are notoriously tough on the equipment, particularly tires, and usually only few teams manage to finish without facing any issues.

Pajari himself has never completed the route without problems, yet he has always managed to reach the finish line on Sunday. From his JWRC days, he retains memories of a victory from 2022 and a second-place finish in 2021. Last year, the special stage in Arganil proved challenging, first causing tire issues and then suspension problems. Nevertheless, he maintained top-class pace on the final two days.

As in previous years, the run-up to the rally has seen rain this year. Some teams and drivers preparing for the rally had a break from the usual dust due to significant rainfall.

"We mostly had dry conditions in our tests, though there were some wetter sections as well. We have a good understanding of what the car can do, whether it's dry or wet. The tests went well and left us feeling very positive. As for the weather, I haven’t seen any forecasts predicting rain during the rally itself, but it wouldn’t be the first time this rally brought surprises. We'll see if the heavy rains of the last few days have caused any significant erosion or other damage to the roads."

Since 2015, the event has been held in the northern part of the country around Porto, and the current format has been effectively unchanged since 2019, with the start and the first day of rallying slightly further south in Coimbra.

"The roads are quite familiar from recent years. For Sunday, a new stage has been added to pair with the Fafe test, and it suits me very well when new challenges are introduced."

This year, one of the main topics of discussion before the event has been the high level of competition in the WRC2 category, with notable new entries like Kris Meeke and Pierre-Louis Loubet, who previously competed in the top-flight category."

The competition has been strong at all the events this year, but now the field competing for a top-five or even top-three finish is even broader. And being up there is certainly our goal too. Though I believe the pace at the front can’t really get any faster than it has been in earlier rallyes this season, as it has been very intense."

The WRC calendar this year consists of a total of 13 rounds, each with its own characteristics and distinctive nuances, but Pajari highlights something particular about Portugal.

"The fans are incredibly enthusiastic and numerous here. This is a rally-loving country, and you can truly feel that atmosphere."

The rally's recce began Monday afternoon, and the real taste of competitive speed kicks off with Thursday morning’s shakedown stage. Thursday evening sees the official rally start from Coimbra, followed by a 40-kilometer drive west to the coastal town of Figueira da Foz, where a spectator special stage of nearly 3 kilometers of asphalt awaits.

On Friday, the route ventures to the east, featuring four special stages, each run twice, totaling 127 kilometers. A midday service break takes place in the small town of Arganil, which also includes a tire change. The day's only official service is scheduled for the evening, after a 150-kilometer road section north to Matosinhos, near Porto.

Saturday’s itinerary moves to the east and northeast of Porto, starting with four special stages, a service in Matosinhos, and then another four stages, ending with a three-kilometer spectator special stage in Lousada that will be run in a head-to-head format. Saturday covers 145 kilometers of special stages.

Sunday features two special stages run twice north of Porto, concluding in the early afternoon with the legendary Fafe, known for its wind turbines and the dramatic jump at the end of the stage. Sunday’s special stages total 62 kilometers. The official finish, with all its ceremonies, is in Matosinhos.