Sami Pajari was in a wildly dangerous situation at the World Rally Championship in Japan when a civilian car that had entered the race route came up against him.
14:03•Updated 14:15
There were enough dramatic events in the World Rally Championship in Japan on Friday. In the fourth special stage, there were real moments of danger when the WRC2 drivers Sami Pajari, Emil Lindholm and Teemu Suninen had to dodge a car that unexpectedly drove into them.
The special test was suspended. At the same time, there was more commotion, when Craig Breen drove off the road. Pajari told Urheilu how the events progressed.
– I saw that Breen had nothing to worry about. We continued from there at a racing pace, and then a car came towards us. Apparently, no one can say how it was possible, Pajari recounted the frightening situation.
– I was absolutely sure it would hit my car, but it didn’t.
A moment later, Pajari drove to the side of the road so that the information about the dangerous situation could be passed on.
– We talked with Enni (map reader Mälkönen) about what is really going on here. We then stopped a short distance away and pressed the emergency button on our system, because we thought the clip had to be cut off. You can’t run a rally if there are cars coming your way, Pajari stated.
Special tests are closed in the rally competition. Under no circumstances should passenger cars be allowed on the pits during the rally, regardless of whether or not the special test has, for example, been suspended.
“Big consequences for the organizers of the World Cup rally”
Sports expert Miikka Anttila amazed by special events.
– The worst thing that can happen with special tests. My own opinion is that this will have big consequences for the organizers of the World Rally Championship in Japan. That kind of thing just shouldn’t happen in an event on the scale of the World Cup rally, Anttila emphasized.
Emil Lindholm and his map reader Reeta Hämäläinen are on their way to the world championship in the WRC2 class. The team is third in the WRC2 class paced by Finns. Pajari leads the class and Suninen is second.
See below how Lindholm summed up the events of the incredible morning.
The biggest threat to Lindholm and Hämäläinen’s championship dreams is a Pole Kajetan Kajetanowicz crashed his Skoda out on Friday’s opening stretch and had to stop.
– Quite a lot of drama for the opening day, and a wild day all in all. Nobody wishes for something like that (Kajetan’s exit), but today’s morning was enough for all kinds of events, and the route was difficult and slippery, Lindholm said in the press release.
Pajari was satisfied with his own performance.
– So far, it’s been really nice. The differences are really small and there is still a long rally ahead. Here in Japan, we are now driving for the first time in a long time, so everyone is on the same page, Pajari pointed out.
A former F1 driver driving his first World Cup rally Heikki Kovalainen driving in sixth place in the WRC2 class.