Sami Pajari Extends Rally Estonia Lead With SS4 Win

Sami Pajari extended his Rally Estonia lead to nine seconds after setting another fastest time on the second Raanitsa stage.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT driver continued his perfect run by winning all four opening stages on Friday. Pajari completed the second Raanitsa pass without any major moments and admitted he had little performance left in reserve.

“That was another good one. I’m giving it everything I’ve got, and we’ve had no moments at all. I’m just trying to enjoy it,” Pajari said.

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Oliver Solberg remained second overall but lost further ground as his deficit increased from 4.1 seconds to nine seconds. Solberg admitted he was still lacking the commitment and confidence required to match his team-mate’s pace.

Adrien Fourmaux set the second-fastest time on SS4, finishing 4.5 seconds behind Pajari. The Hyundai driver is now only 0.4 seconds behind Solberg in the fight for second, although the rough road surface has made tyre management a concern for the remaining stages.

Elfyn Evans produced a major improvement on the second Raanitsa run. He gained around 20 seconds compared with his morning time as the racing line became cleaner, although the rutted surface remained difficult and he finished sixth fastest.

Esapekka Lappi continued to struggle for pace and finished behind both Evans and Takamoto Katsuta. He said he had attempted to push harder, but the additional effort was still not reflected in the stage time.

Pajari leads after four of the rally’s 18 stages, with three tests remaining on Friday. The action continues with SS5 Karaski, SS6 Kanepi and SS7 Elva Linn before Saturday’s itinerary begins.