Sami Pajari is bracing for drama at Rally Sardinia. The Toyota driver admitted that the dusty and low-grip conditions have forced him to be extra cautious, even though he remains competitive in terms of speed.
In the world championship battle, Pajari is in a reasonably good position. Points leader Elfyn Evans is sixth, while Oliver Solberg, who was third before the final round, is just 2.6 seconds ahead of Pajari. This shows how tight the competition is at the top of the standings.
Regarding his driving, Pajari said it hadn't felt particularly good. "The conditions have such a big effect. There is limited grip and there are always some surprises, so it does not feel perfect in any way. The times have been pretty decent, though, so we are still in the fight," he said.
Pajari also highlighted the dust problem. "There was some dust and everything else on the first stage this morning. The times were quite mixed, but on the next two stages the road clearly improved for at least the first three or four cars. Each car was a little quicker than the one before," he explained.
Starting second on the road in line with his championship position, Pajari still complained about the thick dust. "On the first stage this morning, where probably everyone suffered the most, we also had a few places where we had to ease off a little. We lost a few seconds there," he added.
Even though the gaps were increased from three to four minutes, Pajari felt that with hardly any wind, the dust just hangs there. "When you are driving through dense forest, the dust just hangs there," he said.
Among the leading drivers, Oliver Solberg suffered a puncture on the opening stage of the morning, but fortunately for the Swede it happened towards the end of the stage. Pajari believes more punctures are possible on the afternoon loop. "We will see what lies in store this afternoon. There will be surprises in any case, but the question is where they happen and how serious they are. That is what we will find out this afternoon. Hopefully there will not be any, but it is very possible. It is difficult to guess where the rocks that can actually puncture a tyre are hiding," he concluded.
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