Quite possibly the service park’s worst-kept secret is out: Sami Pajari will drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 run by the Finnish-based Printsport Racing team.
Pajari’s departure from a Toksport Škoda was telegraphed towards the end of last season, but confirmed on Friday morning. His first outing in the car will be at the Monte Carlo Rally later this month.
The 22-year-old explained the move to Toyota’s factory-blessed squad.
Pajari, who was one of several drivers testing the GR Yaris Rally2 in the French Alps last season, said: “While Toyota has made winning cars in the past, I also believe in their vision for the future.
“That is why I really wanted to choose this car, especially now that I also had the unique opportunity to be among the first to drive it in a WRC event. Naturally it will be interesting to get to compare its performance to others in the first event.
“All in all, the opportunity is so wonderful that I decided to take it. It’s a pretty cool thing.”
DirtFish understands as many as four of Toyota’s all-new GR Yaris Rally2s could be in action at the season-opener, with the car having been granted FIA homologation earlier in the week.
Pajari added: “I am grateful to all our partners for the opportunity to continue my career in this new, exciting project. Special thanks go of course to my long-term supporters, such as our headline partner CapitalBox, who all greatly believe in me.”
The Former Junior World Rally Champion will remain with his regular co-driver Enni Mälkönen, the first female to win a world title open to both women and men, when she lifted the WRC3 crown alongside Pajari in 2022.
Before starting his new adventure aboard a Yaris, Pajari paid tribute to his former Toksport team.
He added: “It was a great team, from which I received enormous support and endless valuable lessons. Toksport was a wonderful place for me to develop as a driver in every way. The performance of the car was always good and our cooperation was nothing but smooth. I want to thank the team manager Serkan Duru from the bottom of my heart for the time we have spent together.”
