Sami Pajari extended his lead at the top of Rally Paraguay standings after winning SS9 Bella Vista on Saturday. The Toyota driver now holds a 14.8-second advantage over closest rival Hayden Paddon, who remained calm under pressure.
Despite heavy rain in the service park, the first pass through Bella Vista was held in dry conditions. Elfyn Evans was fastest on the 21-kilometre stage, continuing his push to catch the leading duo after briefly leading the rally yesterday.
Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux was second fastest, just 0.4 seconds behind Evans. The Frenchman stays fourth overall. “The easiest stage of the weekend so far. Let’s see when the rain comes. I think everyone is running wet-weather settings,” he said.
Toyota's Sebastien Ogier, forced to retire on Friday, set the third-fastest time. “We just drove through. We were quick yesterday as well, but the tyre could not cope with that pace,” Ogier chuckled.
The main focus of the victory battle was on Pajari and Paddon. Pajari came out on top and increased his lead, but Paddon was not concerned. “This is a long rally and there is still plenty to happen. We can call this stage the calm before the storm. The most important thing was to keep an eye on the tyres,” he said.
Pajari complained about the lack of grip. “It was quite okay. A lot more slippery than I expected, so it was not that easy. Still quite okay,” he commented.
Eight more special stages are scheduled for Saturday at Rally Paraguay. The rally concludes on Sunday.
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