Sami Pajari has just etched his name into the WRC history books. The Finnish Toyota driver won Rally Paraguay, securing his third consecutive victory after previous successes in Estonia and Finland. This is the first time in WRC history that a driver has won three rallies in a row after claiming his maiden victory in the top class.
This win strengthens Pajari's position in the fight for the world championship. His teammate, Elfyn Evans, still leads the standings by 20 points over Pajari. However, with his increasingly mature performance, Pajari's chances of clinching the title in his debut season in the top class are widening.
"It sounds incredible. A huge thank you to the team once again. This rally wasn't easy for the drivers, nor was it easy for the team. I'm really proud of what we've done. We just have to do our best in the championship. The situation certainly isn't bad," Pajari said after the rally.
Behind Pajari, a surprise came from Hayden Paddon, who impressed with Hyundai. The New Zealander finished second with a 25.8-second gap. "This feels good. This podium is deserved. A huge thank you to Hyundai. I'm sure many people had already written us off and thought it was a joke that we were competing this year. This shows that you have to believe in your dreams," Paddon said enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, Paddon's teammate, Adrien Fourmaux, showed a remarkable comeback to finish third. The Frenchman, who suffered a puncture on Friday, caught Evans on Saturday and passed him on Sunday. Fourmaux eventually beat Evans by 5.1 seconds. "An incredible weekend. I think we deserved to win. I was one minute and 50 seconds behind, but I clawed back a minute of that. It's a shame we have tyres like these. I pushed right to the very end," Fourmaux said.
Oliver Solberg from Toyota finished fifth and was also fastest on the Power Stage. He tied for second with Sebastien Ogier in the Super Sunday classification. Thierry Neuville of Hyundai was third on Super Sunday, ahead of Fourmaux and Evans.
In the WRC2 class, home hero Diego Dominguez claimed his first victory. The Paraguayan beat Britain's Gus Greensmith by 22.7 seconds.
The WRC season continues in Chile in two weeks' time. After that, at least Rally Sardinia remains on the calendar on the first weekend of October. The season finale in Saudi Arabia is still in doubt because of the war involving Iran in the region.
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