WRC
Pajari’s Croatia Rally hopes shattered on SS14
Sami Pajari’s hopes of claiming a maiden FIA World Rally Championship victory at Croatia Rally were shattered on Saturday afternoon when the Finn suffered tyre damage.
Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen had shown impressive speed to lead round four of the championship by 12.7sec heading into SS14 Generalski Stol - Zdihovo 2, but heartbreak struck 3.6km into the debris-strewn asphalt test when they were forced to stop and change a wheel.
Pajari hemorrhaged more than two minutes and dropped to third overall, while Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was one of the few Rally1 drivers to complete the stage without drama and emerged as the new leader by 1min 15.9sec from Takamoto Katsuta, who also nursed a front-left deflation.
Other drivers to suffer tyre damage included Hayden Paddon, Josh McErlean and Jon Armstrong.
