Sami Pajari has made history at the Estonia Rally, achieving his first victory in the World Rally Championship (WRC) with an impressive and dominant performance that allowed him to lead from start to finish.
The Toyota driver, accompanied by his co-driver Marko Salminen, demonstrated exceptional control, registering the best performance of his career so far. Pajari beat his teammate Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson by a margin of 19.5 seconds.
In a new 50-hour format, Pajari not only led the race but also won 12 of the 18 stages, including an impressive streak of nine consecutive victories.
Solberg, who last year achieved his first victory at the same rally, was Pajari’s main threat. Although he managed two stage wins on Saturday morning, he could not maintain the pace needed to compete with his teammate. In the end, Pajari again increased his lead during the afternoon.
An emotional Pajari shared his feelings after the victory: ‘It’s something incredible! Perhaps I don’t realize what I’ve achieved,’ he said, expressing his gratitude towards the Toyota Gazoo Racing team. ‘We knew it was possible, there was no doubt, and now we have achieved it.’
With this victory, the Finnish driver becomes the second to achieve a WRC win this season, following in the footsteps of his teammate Takamoto Katsuta. Pajari has moved up to the third position in the championship, with 33 points behind the current leader, Elfyn Evans.
Solberg, despite the frustration of not being able to fight for the victory, leaves the event with a third podium of the season, accumulating 27 points after winning the Power Stage.
The competition for the third podium place was also intense throughout the race. Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville, from Hyundai Motorsport, had a long battle, with Fourmaux finishing in third position after a standout performance, while Neuville finished in fourth place after regaining pace throughout the rally.
Last year’s champion, Sebastien Ogier, had a complicated race, finishing in fifth position due to road conditions. Meanwhile, Evans, the championship leader, faced difficulties on Saturday but managed to maintain his position after overcoming some obstacles.
The rally concluded with a standout performance from local driver Robert Virves, who won the WRC2 category with a margin of 7.6 seconds, surpassing Teemu Suninen and Roope Korhonen in an intense battle for victory.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
