I remember asking Sami Pajari at the end of 2022 which team he would likely pick for his 2023 WRC2 program.
His response was considered.
“It’s so difficult to say at the moment, because I have had such a good time for many years with M-Sport, and OK also Škoda and Toksport was really good for us with these few rallies, so it’s way too early to say anything, I would say,” he said.
“And on the market there is for sure also many other good teams, so for sure it will be a difficult choice to make and it depends on so many things.”
Realistically though, Toksport was the obvious destination.
With some questions lingering about the strength of the Fiesta Rally2 (that have since been answered through M-Sport’s development push), and the prospect of Škoda’s highly-anticipated Fabia RS Rally2 on the horizon, it wasn’t exactly a shocker to see Pajari line up this year in a Škoda.
But I’d be equally shocked if he’s not taking on the world’s best Rally2 drivers in a Toyota next season. That partnership makes so much sense on so many levels it would simply stun me if it never came to fruition.
Not that Pajari’s listening to any of the noise surrounding such a situation.
Again, asked by DirtFish about that prospect in Estonia last weekend, the answer was considered. Political, even.
“Sure, I know Jari-Matti [Latvala, Toyota team principal] for many years already, but that’s not anything really related to who will drive their car next year.
“But yeah, at least I have also heard some rumors.
“But those are only rumors.”
Bar talk, or no smoke without fire?
Watch this space, but consider this: Latvala has had Enni Mälkönen, not Juho Hänninen, with him on his historic rallies this year.
And who does Mälkönen normally compete with?
I’ll let you fill in that blank.
Pajari’s very clearly a star of the future, and is impressing greatly in his first full season in WRC2. Not least at the weekend, where he took a career-best second in Estonia and won the powerstage, keeping Andreas Mikkelsen under pressure right until the very end.
“It feels really good,” Pajari admitted.
“I’m just getting more used to it, and feeling the speed that you need to have if you want to really make the top times.
“So that’s about it.”
It goes without saying why a Toyota opportunity would interest Pajari – the chance to learn a new car that you have to assume will be competitive, and the links to the Rally1 operation that come with it.
But Toyota should be seriously interested in Pajari too. Chances are it already is, even if that interest is being kept private.
When the GR Yaris Rally2 launches next year, Toyota needs somebody to showcase the car to the best of its abilities and Pajari, a Junior WRC champion with a full season of WRC2 rallying under his belt, will be perfectly placed to do that.
All the while, that allows it to assess his capabilities as a potential Rally1 driver for the future too.
Pajari’s far from the only option of course. Several drivers would jump at such a chance, and more drivers than you might think have already tested the Yaris, like reigning Finnish champion and current European Rally Championship star Mikko Heikkilä for example.
But a well-spoken, mature 21-year-old Finnish star with an obvious turn of speed driving a thoroughly-developed, Finnish-built car feels like an enzyme and a substrate situation to me.
