Toyota's rising star Sami Pajari delivered a stunning performance during the second running of the Ena stage (SS11) at Rally Japan on Saturday. The young Finn produced an incredibly impressive benchmark time to claim the stage victory, comfortably outpacing even his legendary Toyota teammate, eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier. Speaking at the stage flying finish, a delighted Pajari noted that the high-speed asphalt run was highly enjoyable and execution-wise very clean throughout.
In stark contrast, Ogier endured a frustrating end to the loop, complaining that the low, blinding sun severely compromised his visibility during the final sectors. The visibility issue forced the French veteran to back off his aggressive pace, ultimately conceding 5.2 seconds to Pajari's benchmark. Meanwhile, overall rally leader Elfyn Evans maintained his strong form, finishing just 2.1 seconds adrift of the stage winner, while home hero Takamoto Katsuta crossed the line 3.6 seconds slower than the flying Finn. At the stop page, Evans openly praised Pajari's blistering speed while remaining focused on the challenging loops ahead.
The strategic results of SS11 allowed Evans to extend his mathematical advantage over second-placed Ogier to 17.7 seconds in the general classification. Pajari remains securely in third overall, sitting 46.7 seconds off the rally lead. Crucially, this stage performance allowed the Finnish driver to score a vital psychological victory over Katsuta in their intense duel for the final spot on the podium, extending the gap between them to 21.1 seconds. Further down the order, Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville hold fifth and sixth positions respectively, while Oliver Solberg's disastrous leg continued following a costly off-road excursion in the previous stage.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Elfyn EvansToyota | 2:18:23.9s Britania Raya | 0 |
2 |  | Sebastien OgierToyota | 2:18:41.6s Prancis | 0 |
3 |  | Sami PajariToyota | 2:19:10.6s Finlandia | 0 |
4 |  | Takamoto KatsutaToyota | 2:19:31.7s Jepang | 0 |
5 |  | Adrien FourmauxHyundai | 2:20:14.9s Prancis | 0 |
6 |  | Thierry NeuvilleHyundai | 2:20:30.1s Belgia | 0 |
7 |  | Hayden PaddonHyundai | 2:21:50.8s Selandia Baru | 0 |
8 |  | Jon ArmstrongFord | 2:22:35.0s Irlandia Utara | 0 |
9 |  | Nikolai GrjazinLancia | 2:24:57.3s Bulgaria | 0 |
10 |  | Alejandro CachonToyota | 2:25:06.7s Spanyol | 0 |
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Elfyn Evans remains perfectly unfazed by teammate Oliver Solberg's sudden crash, keeping his absolute focus on defending his Rally Japan lead from Sebastien Ogier.
Thierry Neuville adopts a pragmatic mindset at Rally Japan, electing to enjoy his driving despite Hyundai trailing significantly behind dominant Toyota.
Sami Pajari remains highly cautious and refuses to celebrate early despite holding a commanding podium position heading into the Rally Japan finale.
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