WRC

WRC: Sami Pajari brings Finland its 200th anniversary triumph

Pajari, accompanied by co-driver Marko Salminen, finished 26.7 seconds ahead of Swede Oliver Solberg (Toyota Yaris), while Briton Elfyn Evans (Toyota Yaris) took third place, 1 minute 19.5 seconds back, completing a clean sweep of the podium for the Japanese manufacturer.

Toyota driver Sami Pajari won the WRC rally in Finland today, moving up to second place in the overall standings with four races to go.

This is the 24-year-old Finn's second WRC victory, after he celebrated in the previous race in Estonia, and he brought his country its 200th anniversary triumph in the World Rally Championship.

Pajari celebrated with a total time of two hours, 27 minutes and 58 seconds, and two other Toyota drivers climbed the podium - Swede Oliver Solberg (26.7 seconds behind) and Briton Elfin Evans (1:19.5 minutes behind).

On Saturday, the current world champion, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier from Toyota, finished the race after an accident, having successfully passed the medical examinations.

Evans leads the overall standings with 201 points, Pajari is 30 points behind in second place, while Japanese driver and Toyota member Takamoto Katsuta is third with 160 points.

The Finnish driver began the final day with a 46.4-second lead and chose to manage his pace during the two passes through the 30.02-kilometer Himos-Jämsä stage, finishing fifth in the event-closing Power Stage.

"I don't know what to say. Winning in Estonia was very important, but a home victory is always something special," said Pajari, who was greeted at the end of the final stage by former Finnish world champion Ari Vatanen.

Pajari's triumph marked the 200th victory by a Finnish driver in the World Rally Championship—following his own 199th win in Estonia—and made him the 14th driver from the country to win the event since its inclusion in the WRC.

"It hasn't always been easy for the Finns, but after a truly crazy rally, we did it. A huge thank you to the team and also to all the fans for their support," he added.

Pajari also became the first Finn to win two consecutive World Championship rallies since Kalle Rovanperä's victories in Poland and Latvia in 2024.

Following Rovanperä's 2025 victory, Finland saw a home driver on the top step of the podium in two consecutive editions for the first time since Jari-Matti Latvala's wins in 2014 and 2015.

Toyota secured its eighth Rally Finland victory in the last nine editions. With 11 wins since the championship's inception, the Japanese brand overtook Ford to become the most successful manufacturer in the Finnish event. Pajari inherited the lead on Saturday following the crash of Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris), who had been leading since Friday but went off the road at high speed during the second pass through Västilä.

Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia exited the car unaided and were taken to the hospital for precautionary checks; both later revealed on social media that they were fine, despite remaining hospitalized overnight.

Solberg won the first stage on Sunday and was the fastest overall on the final day, despite suffering severe back pain from a heavy landing. The Swede received medical attention before the final section and finished just 25 thousandths of a second behind Evans in the ‘power stage’.

This second-place finish mirrored the result Toyota achieved in Estonia, where Pajari had also finished ahead of Solberg.

Evans recovered to third place after rolling his car on Saturday. Spectators helped put the Toyota back on the road, and team mechanics repaired the damage during the service break.

The Briton won the ‘power stage’ and extended his championship lead to 201 points, now holding a 30-point advantage over Pajari. Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota Yaris) dropped to third in the standings with 160 points, while Solberg sits fourth with 156.

Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20) finished the race in fourth place, 16.4 seconds behind Evans, while Belgian driver Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20) moved up to fifth following Katsuta’s off-road excursion on the final stage.

The Japanese driver hit a tree and reached the finish line with the front of his car heavily damaged, dropping to sixth place—ahead of Irishman Josh McErlean (Ford Puma). Jari-Matti Latvala finished eighth overall and won the RC2 category, while Estonian Robert Virves secured his fourth victory in as many WRC2 appearances this season following a 30-second penalty handed to Finn Teemu Suninen.

The winning duo headed into the final day with a 46.4-second lead over their pursuers, opting to manage their pace during the two passes of the Himos–Jämsä stage to avoid unnecessary risks and secure the top spot. At the finish, Sami Pajari made no secret of his immense emotion at winning in front of his home crowd, celebrating at the finish line where he was greeted by the sport's living legend, Ari Vatanen: “I don’t know what to say. Winning in Estonia was huge, but a home victory is always something special. It hasn’t always been easy for Finns, but after a truly crazy rally, we did it. A huge thank you, first and foremost, to the team, and also to all the fans for their support. It’s simply incredible. Kiitos paljon – thank you everyone!”

Historical significance and Saturday’s incidents...Sami Pajari’s triumph holds profound statistical significance, marking the 200th victory by a Finnish driver in WRC history and making him the fourteenth representative from the country to win his home event during the World Championship era. The lead fell into Sami Pajari’s hands on Saturday afternoon when the previous leader, Sébastien Ogier, suffered a terrible crash on the Västilä stage. The French driver and his stand-in co-driver, Julien Ingrassia, emerged from the vehicle unharmed, though they underwent hospital checks as a precaution.

Oliver Solberg’s resilience and Elfyn Evans’s recovery...Despite severe back pain resulting from a violent landing, Oliver Solberg showed remarkable pace to secure second place and win the "Super Sunday" classification. Afterward, the Swede described the physical difficulties he faced: “I’m in so much pain inside. I was braking so hard for the jumps because of the pain. I knew I’d lose the Power Stage. I tried, but I wasn’t good enough.” For his part, Elfyn Evans staged an exceptional recovery after rolling his GR Yaris Rally1 on Saturday. The car was quickly righted by spectators and fully repaired by the team's mechanics during the service break. The British driver acknowledged the collective effort by setting the fastest time on the Power Stage and securing third place overall: “It was a surreal set of circumstances. More than anything, we owe a thank you to the guys who fixed the car yesterday at lunchtime. We always know we can count on them.” Ironically, this recovery allowed Elfyn Evans to extend his championship lead over Sami Pajari to 30 points.

As for the remaining points-scoring positions...Adrien Fourmaux drove his Hyundai to fourth place overall, overcoming weather-related setbacks experienced early in the rally. Thierry Neuville capitalized on a mistake by Takamoto Katsuta on the Power Stage—where the Japanese driver hit a tree and dropped to sixth—to move up to fifth place overall.

Josh McErlean placed his M-Sport Ford Puma seventh, while Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out the top eight and won the RC2 class. In the WRC2 category, Robert Virves claimed his fourth victory of the season. The World Rally Championship returns soon for the eleventh round, Rally Paraguay, scheduled for August 27–30.

Sami Pajari turned his Estonian dream into an epic reality in Finland, securing back-to-back WRC victories with a thrilling home win, finishing 26.7 seconds ahead of a stoic Oliver Solberg. This marks the 200th victory by a Finnish driver in a WRC event since 1973: Marcus Grönholm, 30; Tommi Mäkinen, 24; Juha Kankkunen, 23; Markku Alén, 19; Jari-Matti Latvala, 18; Hannu Mikkola, 18; Kalle Rovanpera, 18; Mikko Hirvonen, 15;

Timo Salonen, 11; Ari Vatanen, 10; Timo Makinen, 4; Henri Toivonen, 3; Esapekka Lappi, 2; Sami Pajari, 2; Pentti Airikkala, 1; Kyosti Hamalainen, 1; Harri Rovanpera, 1.

The World Championship continues from August 27 to 30 with Rally Paraguay, the 11th round of the season.

by Autonews