Rally promise Sami Pajari will take the wheel of Toyota’s first-class GR Yaris in July. Enni Mälkönen is the kart driver.
Teemu Kammonen,
Jarno Kajova
10:05am•Updated 10:11am
Race car driver Sami Pajari will drive his first WRC race in Latvia in July.
Pajari races his kart in the World Rally Championship in Latvia Enni Mälkönen with Toyota’s GR Yaris under the Toyota Gazoo Racing team.
– This is an incredible and incredibly cool opportunity. It even feels unnatural, Pajari describes his feelings.
Pajari, originally from Lahti, is a 22-year-old rally promise. In 2021, he won the youth WRC championship as the youngest driver ever.
Pajari has driven a Rally 2 class Toyota this season. The difference to a first-class car is clear:
– Basically, the Rally 2 car has 300 horsepower, while the Rally 1 car has almost 500 horsepower. First-class cars are much more technical, Pajari describes.
The most significant technical difference is the hybrid unit of the Rally 1 cars, which Pajar’s previously driven second-class car does not have. The speed difference is about one second per kilometer.
Pajar’s first World Cup rally is part of Toyota’s young driver program. For now, it’s about one rally, one screen spot.
The young driver is showing a single result more than his abilities as part of the professional team’s activities.
– Expectations are moderate in terms of results. I want to show professionalism and motivation. That’s what interests people there, says Pajari.
The Latvian World Cup Rally starts on July 18. Pajari says that he has a couple of days to test his new car.