Pajari Wins Paraguay for Third Straight WRC Victory

Sami Pajari won the inaugural ueno Rally del Paraguay on Sunday, his third straight WRC victory after triumphs in Estonia and Finland. The Finn and co-driver Marko Salminen sealed the result in their first works Toyota season.

A chaotic Friday, then a controlled run to the flag

Pajari took command during a disorderly opening day, when tyre problems and incidents reshuffled the order repeatedly. He started Sunday with 24.1sec in hand over Hayden Paddon.

His lead briefly dipped to 21.5sec on the opening Encarnación test, but he refused any needless risk. He stretched the margin on the next two stages and reached the final Wolf Power Stage with the win secure, finishing 25.8sec clear of Paddon.

The penultimate Artigas stage was red-flagged after a crash involving Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston. Both were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

First three career wins, all in a row — a WRC first

The result made history: Pajari and Salminen became the first crew whose first three WRC wins have come consecutively. Their run began in Tartu, continued at home in Jyväskylä, and now reached South America.

The victory also tightened the title fight. The 24-year-old now sits 20 points behind leader Elfyn Evans, on 196 to 216, with three rounds left, having trailed by 30 coming in.

"Amazing," Pajari said at the finish. "It was not an easy rally, not easy for the drivers, but nevertheless not easy for the team. It's a really, really proud moment and I'm really, really happy."

The championship stays in South America and heads straight to Rally Chile Bío Bío, where Pajari carries his momentum into the closing rounds.