Pajari, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, appeared to have his third win of the season in the bag as he headed into the Wolf Power Stage with a near 30-second advantage over Virves’ Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. But in true Acropolis Rally style, drama unfolded at the very last moment.
A deflating front-left tyre five kilometres from the finish line saw Pajari haemorrhage time. By the time he crossed the stage end, Virves had clawed back the gap, leaving both drivers deadlocked on total time.
As per the regulations, the tie-breaker was determined by the fastest time on the rally’s opening stage – a decisive advantage for Pajari, who had been 19.7sec quicker on Ano Pavliani.
“About five kilometres from the finish, I realised we had a puncture, and I knew the best option was to keep going rather than stop to change it,” explained the Finn, who now trails WRC2 championship leader by three points.
Sun 08 Sep 2024
Pajari prevails on countback for Acropolis WRC2 victory
Sami Pajari clinched WRC2 victory at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece in the narrowest of circumstances, relying on countback rules after finishing the three-day event level on time with Robert Virves.
“When we crossed the line, I looked around to see if anyone knew the result, but nobody seemed to know. It took a few minutes to find out that we had won, and it was a huge relief. It was a fantastic battle with Robert, especially in such a tough rally! This win is hugely important for our championship hopes, and in this sport, every tenth of a second matters.”
Virves, too, faced challenges on the final stage, hampered by a gear lever issue. “We had a small problem with the gear shift and had to back off to avoid breaking it completely,” he explained.
Yohan Rossel completed the podium in his Citroën C3 Rally2, finishing 30.8sec behind the lead duo. The Frenchman had dominated much of Friday’s stages before a costly wheel change dropped him out of contention. Kajetan Kajetanowicz took fourth, while Fau Zaldivar and Josh McErlean rounded out the top six.
Pajari’s triumph also earned him victory in the WRC2 Challenger category. Meanwhile, Germany’s Armin Kremer celebrated winning the WRC Masters Cup, his success enough to secure the series title after claiming five victories from five starts.
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