WRC
Pajari credits rediscovered ‘spark’ for back-to-back WRC wins
Sami Pajari believes rediscovering his enjoyment behind the wheel has been central to the transformation that has carried him to consecutive FIA World Rally Championship victories.
The Finn followed his maiden triumph in Estonia with an emotional home win at Secto Rally Finland, becoming the second-youngest driver to win the Jyväskylä-based event and moving to within 30 points of championship leader Elfyn Evans.
Although Pajari pointed to improvements across several areas, he believes the biggest change has been less tangible.
“We have made small changes in many different areas,” he explained. “This sport is all about very small details, and you need to have the complete package to deal with every different factor.
“At the same time, I have been enjoying this season more. Somehow, everything feels more natural and I have found that spark.
“The driving feels really good and I am enjoying it a lot. The confidence is also growing, and perhaps that allows you to be a little braver in certain places.”
Pajari arrived in Finland buoyed by his breakthrough victory two weeks earlier, although he admitted that success had done little to reduce the unique pressure associated with competing at home.
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“I didn’t really expect to win,” he said. “I knew the challenge would be very big because this is a really tough event, even for the local drivers.
“Of course, I knew we could do it because we had already won in Estonia, but I still thought this rally would be even more difficult.”
His hopes appeared to suffer a significant setback during Friday’s rain-hit leg when mist formed inside the windscreen of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, costing him around half a minute.
“At that point I thought the fight was already more or less over,” Pajari admitted. “I was quite sceptical and thought our chances were pretty much gone.
“We just tried to continue at full speed into Saturday and especially to enjoy those beautiful stages. We knew it was the final time we would drive these cars on roads like those, so we wanted to maximise the enjoyment.”
That approach kept Pajari close enough to capitalise when Evans rolled and long-time leader Sébastien Ogier crashed out on Saturday.
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“It was simply great to be out on the stages, and the times were good,” he continued. “We weren’t able to close the gap by very much, but the pressure was there.
“I was trying to catch Elfyn, Elfyn was trying to catch Seb, and the gap between Seb and Elfyn was becoming very small. They both needed to push, and when you are pushing, mistakes can happen.”
Pajari now sits second in the drivers’ standings, but insists his approach will remain unchanged over the final four rounds.
“Whether we are fighting for the World Championship or for a stage win on a local national rally, I will always give everything and try to do the best job possible,” he said.
“Of course, it is nice to be fighting for the World Championship, but I cannot change my approach.”
While Estonia will always carry the significance of being his first WRC victory, Pajari believes winning at home stands alongside the sport’s ultimate prize.
“In one way, the first victory will always be unique because it was the first one,” he reflected. “But winning Rally Finland as a Finn is also incredibly special.
“I would say that winning Rally Finland or becoming World Champion are almost equal. Winning here is a massive achievement.”
That significance was reinforced by 1981 world champion Ari Vatanen, who embraced Pajari before the final stage and was waiting to greet him at the finish.
“Ari came to me, gave me a hug and said I had done an absolutely great job,” Pajari recalled.
“I replied that we still had one stage to go, but he said it didn’t matter because we had basically already done it. He told me to enjoy the final stage, and that is what we did.”
