Sami Pajari strongly believes that his victory in Finland was a dream result for him and was more special than Estonia's one considering his intense battle with two of his teammates last weekend.
Pajari claimed his maiden victory in World Rally Championship at Rally Estonia three weeks ago and finished at the top step of the podium for a second consecutive rally as he won his home event which was held from July 30 to August 2. In fact, the young Finn was second overall and tried to defend his position from the third Elfyn Evans who was chasing him down on Friday and Saturday. On the other hand, Sebastien Ogier was leading Rally Finland since the end of Stage 2 and was able to build a safety net around his gap which was at 20,9 seconds against Pajari at the end of Stage 16. However, Ogier had an accident and went off road at 18.2Km into SS17 which means that Pajari became the new rally leader in Finland after SS17. With three stages remaining for the finale, Pajari was in control, as he was managing his lead over the second Evans on Sunday, and managed to become the latest Finn driver who won the gravel grand prix of the World Rally Championship. Last but not least, his win at Rally Finland helped Pajari to move up to the second position on the championship standings and to be 30 points behind the first Evans while Takamoto Katsuta slipped behind him for eleven points.
"It feels simply amazing to win Rally Finland", Pajari said.
"It’s another dream result for us.
"It was already a big thing to take the first win in Estonia but to win at home is always something special.
"Winning at home hasn’t always been easy for Finnish drivers but somehow after a crazy rally we have managed to make it happen.
"This one was tougher and more intense than Estonia; it was a really close fight with Seb and Elfyn and we were setting very similar times for most of the rally.
"To be a winner of the ‘1000 Lakes’ is incredible.
"Marko and I grew up watching legendary drivers win this rally and now we are on top of the podium too; it’s crazy.
"Big thanks to the team and the fans for all their support".
Photo Credits: Toyota
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