Pajari achieves historic hat-trick for TGR-WRT

Sami Pajari completed a historic hat-trick of wins with Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) on Sunday with victory at Rally del Paraguay.

The young Finnish star and his co-driver Marko Salminen are the first to record their first three wins in consecutive rounds of the WRC.

While recent victories on fast roads in Estonia and Finland showcased Pajari’s speed, his success in South America was built on avoiding major difficulties in a demanding challenge on Paraguayan roads.

The many bumps and compressions and sharp rocks hidden in the clay-like surface combined with higher temperatures to test tyres, cars and drivers. A near-constant threat of heavy rain kept teams on their toes – with the GR YARIS Rally1 cars being fitted mid-rally with snorkel systems usually seen only on Safari Rally Kenya.

Pajari sat as low as seventh overall on the opening Friday morning after developing a water leak in the first stage. Having managed the issue until midday service, he went on to finish the day in the lead as others encountered more significant delays. He gradually opened his advantage to 24.1 seconds during Saturday and ultimately secured victory by 25.8s.

Elfyn Evans drove a typically well-managed rally together with co-driver Scott Martin to finish fourth overall and ensure they continue to lead the drivers’ championship. Evans was another driver who led during Friday after avoiding early chaos, only to concede around a minute with tyre damage. He finished just 5.1s shy of a podium place but picked up valuable extra points by finishing fourth in the Power Stage and fifth on Super Sunday to lead Pajari by 20 points with three championship rounds remaining.

Oliver Solberg was the rally’s first leader on Friday until losing four minutes with a stall and a tyre change in the third stage. He recovered to finish fifth overall with co-driver Elliott Edmondson and win the Power Stage, as well as sharing the winning time on Super Sunday with team-mate Sébastien Ogier. Running under restart rules after stopping with suspension damage on Friday, Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais came second on the Power Stage and claimed the full five points on Super Sunday courtesy of their win in the day’s first stage.

With those points, TGR-WRT’s lead in the manufacturers’ championship now stands at 173 points with 180 still available.

Also running under restart rules, Takamoto Katsuta’s saw his rally end in a high-speed accident in the penultimate stage. He and co-driver Aaron Johnston were taken to hospital for precautionary checks and released the same afternoon.

In the WRC2 category there was a first 1-2-3 finish for the GR Yaris Rally2 car, with Paraguayan driver Diego Domínguez achieving his maiden victory on home roads together with co-driver Rogelio Peñate and the MSi Racing Team. Gus Greensmith and Jonas Andersson were second in their RaceSeven-run car with Alejandro Galanti and Marcelo Toyotoshi third for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Paraguay.

TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto experienced the event’s demands for the first time on his maiden rally on South American soil, restarting to gather valuable mileage after stopping on Friday following technical issues.

Team quotes

Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman): “To everyone on the team who competed in Rally del Paraguay, and worked so hard to make the event happen, thank you and congratulations on getting through such a challenging rally week.

“I saw the photos of the service park after it had been battered by strong winds. Rally del Paraguay is already a tough rally under normal conditions, so I am relieved that the event was completed safely. Thank you all for your hard work.

“And in the middle of all that, Sami and Marko gave us a fantastic victory. Three wins in a row after Estonia and Finland – congratulations. The way you have been fighting back has made the championship battle even more exciting. Sami and Marko, and Elfyn and Scott as well, there are still three rallies to go. Keep pushing, enjoy the fight, and go all out for the championship. I’ll be cheering for all of you.

“P.S.: Ever since last year, I have been receiving enthusiastic invitations from people in Paraguay, asking me to come and experience Rally del Paraguay for myself.
As I am still recovering from surgery, I decided not to make the trip this year.
Some people say I have a knack for bringing good weather with me, and after hearing about the conditions during the rally week, I have to admit I found myself thinking, “Maybe I should have gone after all! Hopefully, I will get the chance to visit Paraguay next year.”

Juha Kankkunen (Deputy Team Principal): “We’re very happy to see Sami achieve this incredible result by taking his first three victories in a row like this. Estonia and Finland were more familiar rallies for him but this event in Paraguay is still very new for everybody with very different challenges. The conditions were not easy, especially on Friday when there was a lot of drama, but Sami managed without major problems. He drove consistently without taking too many risks and did a very good job. Elfyn also drove a very smart rally even if he was a bit unlucky on Friday. Oliver and Seb both got the most out of the final day, while for Taka it has been a difficult rally, but the most important thing is that he and Aaron are both fine and well. Our competition was strong here but we are another step closer to the manufacturers’ title and we’re looking forward to Chile.”

Elfyn Evans (driver car 33): “The weekend started quite well on Friday until we had the issue with the tyre in the afternoon. After that we didn’t really settle into a good enough rhythm and were missing some pace to hold off Adrien (Fourmaux) who was really strong. We were maybe a bit too conservative after all the drama of Friday when conditions were perhaps more extreme, but it’s not easy to find the right balance between risk and reward. I can’t be completely happy with the weekend, but others fared worse and we still came away with some decent points.”

Sébastien Ogier (driver car 1): “We had a good battle with Oliver today trying to recover as many points as we could from a tough weekend. I was happy with how our day was going up until the Power Stage, where we had a half-spin in a muddy section where I think a lot of people were struggling. Still, we took nine points from the day which isn’t bad, even if it’s not making a big difference for us in the championship anymore. We didn’t get the result we wanted here but we still had fun behind the wheel and enjoyed our time with the fans.”

Oliver Solberg (driver car 99): “This morning we lost a bit of time on the first stage which was getting muddier with each car, but after that we won every stage we drove so we can be happy with that. A big thanks to the team; the mechanics have done an amazing job to keep the car running all weekend on such an incredibly rough event. I feel we were a bit unlucky with some small details on Friday which cost us time, but it’s still been a great weekend feeling so much passion and support from the fans who have really put a smile on my face.”

Takamoto Katsuta (driver car 18): “The impact from our accident was quite big and the fact that Aaron and I are both OK shows how well the cars are built to keep us safe. Thank you to the team and the FIA for the regulations and thank you also to everyone who helped us afterwards and supported us. I’m not sure exactly what happened but I lost the rear of the car, I tried to correct it and we hit a small bank on the inside that lifted the car onto two wheels. I still tried to save it, but we rolled. It was my mistake and I’m sorry for the team and grateful for their ongoing support. This weekend didn’t go well but highs and lows are part of the game and I just need to come back stronger.”

Sami Pajari (driver car 5): “I’m really happy and it’s a very proud moment for me. To realise that we’ve done something that nobody ever has before is really special. A big thank you to the team once again. It was not an easy rally for the drivers or the team, so building such a reliable car was key to this success. This was a very different rally to Estonia and Finland. It was not about being flat-out all the time. We had to manage many different things so I tried to be clever with my driving. It was a really demanding rally but that just makes it even sweeter to be able to win. We’re also well in the fight for the championship. It’s still quite a few points to catch but I will just keep doing the best job that I can.”

PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, RALLY DEL PARAGUAY
1 Sami Pajari/Marko Salminen (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) 3h13m28.5s
2 Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +25.8s
3 Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) +40.0s
4 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +45.1s
5 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +2m57.0s
6 Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) +4m19.0s
7 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m40.5s
8 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +8m03.2s
9 Alejandro Galanti/Marcelo Toyotoshi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +10m23.0s
10 Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +10m36.9s
34 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1) +1h03m41.6s
Retired Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1)
(Results as of 16:00 on Sunday, for the latest results please visit www.wrc.com)

WRC2 class
1 Diego Domínguez/Rogelio Peñate (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) 3h21m09.0s
2 Gus Greensmith/Jonas Andersson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +22.7s
3 Alejandro Galanti/Marcelo Toyotoshi (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2m42.5s
4 Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2m56.4s
5 Nikolay Gryazin/Konstantin Aleksandrov (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +4m16.3s
6 Yohan Rossel/Arnaud Dunand (Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale) +4m26.4s
14 Yuki Yamamoto/James Fulton (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +31m14.7s

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 11:
1 Elfyn Evans 216 points
2 Sami Pajari 196
3 Oliver Solberg 175
4 Takamoto Katsuta 160

5 Adrien Fourmaux 149
6 Sébastien Ogier 148
7 Thierry Neuville 129
8 Hayden Paddon 38
9 Josh McErlean 29
10 Esapekka Lappi 25

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 11:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 554 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 381
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 210
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 138

What’s next?
Cars will be rebuilt in Paraguay next week and transported across the Andes mountains for another South American gravel challenge at Rally Chile, taking place on 10-13 September. Held in the forests of the Bio Bío region overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the stages are technical but largely fast with a mix of smooth and abrasive gravel.

ENDS