Pajari takes Top Step In Poland

Sami Pajari and co-driver Enni Mälkönen, who have been achieving winning speeds in the WRC2 class in the gravel events of the World Rally Championship, continued their victorious path after their successful run in Sardinia, now triumphing in Poland as well. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Printsport Racing’s Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 is in top form, no matter where the competition takes place.

‍The competition in Poland kicked off on Thursday evening with the spectator special stage at the Mikolajki Arena, located right next to the service park, which was visited a total of five times in different forms over the weekend. The opening went well for Pajari's team, setting the fourth fastest time.

Friday's opener was the longest special stage of the rally, Stańczyki, measuring 29.40 kilometres, which suited the Finnish pair perfectly, resulting in a fastest time. When the same special stage was run again in the afternoon, the result was again the fastest time. Of the seven special stages on Friday, two had to be cancelled due to problems caused by spectators.

After Friday, the lead was in Finnish hands with an 8.9-second advantage over Poland's rally hero, Skoda driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz. Sweden's Oliver Solberg, who started in Poland tied on points with Pajari, was only seventh in his Skoda, more than 33 seconds behind.

"It was a good day. The plan was to push hard from the start and that seems to have worked. The car has felt great and we've really enjoyed the fast stages in Poland," said Pajari at the end of Friday.

Saturday's program included seven special stages, with Pajari and Mälkönen setting the fastest times on the first three. The closest challenger, Kajetanowicz, had to retire on the third stage of the day after a minor off-road incident. After four stages, there was a service break, and Pajari held the lead by 32.6 seconds over Estonia's Robert Virves, whose Skoda had been 2.9 seconds faster than Solberg.

"It was a really good morning, and we managed to extend our lead well. It's a shame that 'Kajto' dropped out. But this is not an easy place yet, and we need to keep a good rhythm for the last day and a half. We'll try to continue in the same way.

"After the service break, the Finnish pair recorded another fastest time of the day, but on the last two stages of the day, they took a more cautious approach on the roughest sections of the twice-run stages. Behind them, Solberg had moved up to second place, 26.3 seconds behind, just 3.1 seconds ahead of third-placed Virves.

"In the last couple of stages, we adjusted our speed to a safer level in the worst ruts and bumps, but otherwise, we need to keep up the pace to maintain the rhythm and avoid mistakes," Pajari summed up at the end of Saturday.

Sunday's itinerary included four special stages, totaling just over 63 kilometres. The opening stage of the final day went well, with the Finnish pair only 0.6 seconds behind Virves, who with his success moved himself back to second place in the class, 28.8 seconds behind Pajari.

With the gap now reasonably substantial, the rest of the day was expected to involve sensible driving in risky sections. With two stages remaining, Virves was 24.4 seconds behind, with Solberg 5.2 seconds further back. Knowing the Swedish driver's ambition, the leaders would still need to drive fast but error-free.

In the penultimate stage, tire punctures hit both second-placed Robert Virves and fourth-placed Pierre-Louis Loubet. Pajari and Solberg could drive the final stage without taking risks, as third-placed Nikolay Gryazin also suffered a puncture, and fifth-placed Estonia's Robert Virves drove an incredible fastest time, lifting himself back onto the podium in third place.

"It feels really good now. Going flat out from start to finish was largely the theme of the event. We really have to thank everyone who supports us and makes this possible. Yesterday, several reporters asked, 'What if you don't win?' Now we'll never know," mused Pajari at the finish, raising his fist in victory.

With this win, Pajari's team moved to second place in the WRC2 standings, just 3 points behind the leader, France's Yohan Rossel. They also took the lead in the WRC2 Challenger standings, which scores drivers who have not previously won the WRC2 championship or accumulated manufacturer points in the main WRC class.

Pajari's team is aiming for their fifth points of the season at the WRC Rally Latvia in two weeks. The debut in the main class with Toyota's Rally1 car will take place at the WRC Rally Finland in early August, but the competition plan for the rest of the season remains open.

Results - WRC2

1. Sami Pajari & Enni Mälkönen FIN 2:40:58.3 Toyota
2. Oliver Solberg SWE +22.0 Skoda
3. Robert Virves EST +1:23.3 Skoda
4. Georg Linnamäe EST +1:23.9 Toyota
5. Pierre-Louis Loubet FRA +1:26.9 Skoda

Standings - WRC2

1. Yohan Rossel FRA 71
2. Sami Pajari FIN 68
3. Oliver Solberg SWE 61
4. Jan Solans ESP 48
5. Nikolay Gryazin ANA 48

Standings - WRC2 Challenger

1. Sami Pajari FIN 75
2. Jan Solans ESP 56
3. Nikolay Gryazin ANA 55
4. Lauri Joona FIN 53
5. Nicolas Ciamin FRA 48

‍