How Rally Islas Canarias could crown another new WRC winner
The 2026 World Rally Championship has already crowned a new winner in Takamoto Katsuta, and now Sami Pajari has his sights set on joining that club at this weekend’s Rally Islas Canarias. Following Katsuta’s maiden triumph in Safari Rally Kenya in March, which he followed up with another in Croatia, only four of the current crop […]
How Toyota’s new flying Finn is starting to make WRC headlines
Oliver Solberg, Elfyn Evans and now Takamoto Katsuta have grabbed World Rally Championship headlines with victories this year, but Toyota’s other young driver Sami Pajari is fast becoming its next star. Right now, Toyota has an embarrassment of riches within its WRC driver roster. All five of its drivers, Evans, Solberg, Katsuta, Pajari and part-timer and […]
New Toyota WRC signing Pajari announces 2025 co-driver
Toyota’s new World Rally Championship signing Sami Pajari has announced that Marko Salminen will be his co-driver for his first full-time season in the Rally1 class next year. Pajari has spent the last three years working alongside Enni Malkonen, but that partnership recently ended after winning the WRC2 title at last month’s Rally Japan. The […]
Toyota encouraged for future after Pajari’s WRC Chile drive
Sami Pajari remains part of Toyota’s discussions regarding its 2025 World Rally Championship driver plans after the Finn impressed management at Rally Chile. Pajari was handed a surprise second career Rally1 outing with the Japanese brand at last weekend’s gravel round in South America in place of regular driver Takamoto Katsuta, who will rejoin the […]
Toyota needs three full-time WRC drivers in 2025
Toyota needs to have at least three full-time drivers contesting the 2025 World Rally Championship, according to team principal Jari-Matti Latvala. His comments followed a difficult weekend at the Acropolis Rally, where Latvala admitted that the team’s drivers’ and manufacturers’ title were “pretty much gone” following a 1-2-3 for rivals Hyundai. Reflecting on the way […]
Pajari to replace Katsuta in Chile as Toyota hands protege another Rally1 drive
Toyota has elected to replace Takamoto Katsuta with protege Sami Pajari for the next round of the World Rally Championship in Chile later this month. This is part of a decision to hand Finnish duo Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen a further two WRC Rally1 outings in Chile and at the following Central European Rally […]
Pajari among Toyota’s driver options for WRC in 2025
Sami Pajari is a potential driver option for Toyota in the World Rally Championship next year following an impressive Rally1 debut in Finland, according to team principal Jari-Matti Latvala. Toyota handed WRC2 title contenders Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen an opportunity to showcase their potential piloting a fifth GR Yaris Rally1 car in last weekend’s […]
Pajari to make WRC Rally1 debut in Finland as Toyota rejigs Latvia line-up
Rising World Rally Championship star Sami Pajari will now make his Rally1 debut in Finland instead of Latvia following a change to Toyota’s driver line-up. Toyota announced last month that Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen will step up from driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car in WRC2 to pilot a fourth GR Yaris Rally1 […]
Toyota hands Rally1 debut to rising WRC star in Latvia
Pajari and co-driver Enni Malkonen will step up from driving Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car in WRC2 to pilot a fourth GR Yaris Rally1 at the gravel rally that will make its WRC debut from 18-21 July. The news comes just days after the pair claimed their second career WRC2 win after finishing sixth overall […]