Pajari Challenges for Lead as Championship Contenders Face Tough Day at Rally Saudi Arabia
A thrilling first full day of competition at the FIA World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia saw Sami Pajari surge into contention, while championship leaders battled challenging conditions and the disadvantage of early starting positions. Following a brief super special stage in Jeddah on Wednesday evening, Thursday’s stages – two loops of three tests in the mountains and deserts – proved decisive, with a loose, sandy surface significantly impacting driver strategy.
The challenge of “road cleaning” – where early cars create a cleaner, faster line for those following – loomed large. According to a senior official, the rough roads initially anticipated didn’t fully materialize, but the effect of clearing the surface still proved significant. Pajari, buoyed by a recent podium finish at Rally Japan, capitalized on his eighth position on the road, driving strongly from the opening stage in Al Faisaliyah. He secured a stage win in Khulais and briefly held second overall before late-stage tyre damage dropped him back to within six seconds of the leader, Adrien Fourmaux, overnight.
Takamoto Katsuta maintained a steady pace, avoiding major issues to secure a sixth-place position, 22.9 seconds off the lead. The true test, however, came for the championship protagonists: Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier, and Kalle Rovanperä. As the first three cars on the road, they bore the brunt of the cleaning effect.
Ogier managed to mitigate the disadvantage, setting two third-fastest times in Al Faisaliyah and ending the day in seventh. Rovanperä, however, suffered tyre damage in SS4, losing approximately 40 seconds, but ultimately regained position over Evans on the final gravel stage. “The cleaning effect is maybe even greater than we thought,” Rovanperä noted, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining pace when starting at the front.
The day’s leaderboard as of Thursday evening reflects the intense competition:
- Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) 1h18m45.3s
- Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +6.0s
- Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) +6.9s
- Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +13.7s
- Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +14.9s
- Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +22.9s
- Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +44.2s
- Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m21.2s
- Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1m25.3s
- Grégoire Munster/Louis Louka (Ford Puma Rally1) +2m10.9s
(Results as of 21:10 on Thursday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)
Looking ahead, Friday promises to be the longest and most demanding day of the rally, featuring 134.34 competitive kilometers across two loops of three stages. A team representative anticipates increased drama as the rally progresses, noting that the differing starting order will add another layer of complexity.
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