Jari-Matti Latvala, director of Toyota Gazoo Racing, has pointed out Sami Pajari as the next star of the World Championship. The Finnish driver is the reigning Junior WRC champion and is taking his first steps with a ‘Rally2’ in the WRC2 category.
The pyramid of rallies designed by the FIA both at a technical and sporting level has put an end to the Junior WRC, at least as we knew it until now. The heir category is WRC3 Juniorwith the slight nuance that while the first was disputed with two-wheel drive vehicles, the second has the ‘Rally3’ as protagonists, vehicles with four-wheel drive.
Despite the great difference between the Ford Fiesta Rally2 with which the Junior WRC closed its journey as a World Championship training category and the Fiesta Rally3 that gives life to the WRC3 Junior, the two categories have in Sami Pajari the best link. The latest Junior WRC champion is leader of both the WRC3 Open and WRC3 Junior categories and is poised to win the title of the latter category at the Acropolis Rally.
“It has potential, that is clear, but we still have to take a couple of steps”
aside from the option to revalidate title or achieve his second wound in this succession line of ‘Junior’ categories, Sami Pajaries is taking his first steps behind the wheel of a ‘Rally2’ vehicle‘. In fact, the Finn has competed in the category WRC2 of the World Championship in the Rally of Italy-Sardinia and in Finland, achieving in both cases performances that are worthy of mention.
In fact, on his WRC2 debut, Pajari took fifth position within the category in a Rally of Italy-Sardinia in which he was not far from the absolute ‘top 10’. In Finland his performance was not so outstanding, although it is still positive. Sami was tenth this time in the WRC2 category, in both cases at the controls of a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
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Star in the making?
The sensations that Sami Pajari transmits are that of a pilot with a steep learning curve that he is taking the right steps to succeed in the WRC. And so do you think Jari-Matti Latvala, former World Championship driver and current Toyota Gazoo Racing team manager. In this sense, Latvala considers that his young 20-year-old compatriot is demonstrating his pedigree by quickly adapt to different cars that you are using.
In statements collected by the championship website, Jari-Matti Latvala He assured that he can «see that Sami has been able to adapt to ‘Rally2’ very quickly. He has a lot of talent and a good future. Of course, now, how could it be otherwise, the most important thing is to do more rallies and gain more experience.
Analyzing the possibilities of the new pearl of the always prolific suomi rally academy, Latvala considers that “there is a possibility that he will show his performance and try to reach more. I think maybe she has to do a full season in WRC2 first to show her potential. However, the feeling she gives me is that he is very focused and going in the right direction. He seems to have good people around him.”
Reaffirming his idea, the Toyota boss has concluded: «It has potential, that is clear, but there are still a couple of steps to be taken. Today they start very young, but you have to know how to follow the right path. Age is in your favor and you are on the right track. I hope one day I’m challenging Kalle [Rovanperä] in the near future, but as I say you have to take the right steps and it is difficult to know what can happen.
Photos: Red Bull Content Pool
