WRC
Pajari eyes "favourite rallies" after Acropolis fightback
Sami Pajari says his final-day fightback at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has given him a timely boost ahead of what he describes as his two favourite rallies of the FIA World Rally Championship season.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver endured a difficult opening leg in Greece, losing almost two minutes on Friday afternoon after stopping to change a wheel. At that stage, a strong points return looked unlikely.
But Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen fought back through the field, climbed the order as others hit trouble, and finished fourth overall in the revised classification after post-rally penalties for Josh McErlean and Adrien Fourmaux. The Finn also placed second on both Super Sunday and the Wolf Power Stage, turning a frustrating weekend into a valuable haul.
“Friday was really bad and really hopeless for a very long time,” Pajari admitted.
“Luckily, we overtook a few guys on Saturday and later in the day we were getting into a bit of a good position for Sunday. Then it was quite straightforward: we tried to push all we could.”
That final-day push proved decisive. Pajari was immediately on the pace on Sunday morning, going fastest among the early runners on Aghii Theodori 1 before continuing to chase Super Sunday and Power Stage points through the final loop.
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In the end, the 24-year-old left Greece with far more than had looked possible after his Friday setback.
“We basically got the amount of points because of Sunday,” he said. “I think I need to be very, very happy about that, because like I said, it was not good for a long time, and what we got at the end was very, very good.”
The result continued Pajari’s impressive season. After round eight of 14, he sits fourth in the drivers’ championship, behind only Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and Sébastien Ogier, and ahead of Oliver Solberg, Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux.
It also sends him into a very different part of the calendar with renewed confidence. After the rough, rocky roads of Greece, the WRC now heads to Delfi Rally Estonia before moving on to his home round - Secto Rally Finland - two weeks later.
For Pajari, that means a return to the fast gravel roads where he has built much of his reputation.
“It will be now my two favourite rallies, so I am really looking forward,” he said.
Asked whether expectation will be high for Estonia, Pajari smiled but remained cautious.
“I am trying not to put too high expectations, because maybe then you know this thing called karma,” he said. “It could go wrong somehow.
“Anyway, it should be more straightforward than this rally, that is for sure. I am looking forward and expecting a nice, enjoyable rally.”
Estonia marks round nine of the season next week and brings the championship back to high-speed gravel, with 18 stages and 301.80 competitive kilometres around Tartu.
