The Central European Rally, which concluded on Sunday, brought a fine result for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2’s Finnish pairing Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen, who secured sixth place overall. For Pajari, contesting only his fourth asphalt event in a Rally1 car, it marked his first finish in the premier class – a milestone achieved on a weekend that also saw the Toyota Gazoo Racing factory team clinch the Manufacturers’ World Championship.
The rally, which began on Thursday afternoon, served up an intriguing mix of conditions and road surfaces across three nations. Based in Passau, Germany, the route extended through Austria and into the Czech Republic. Thursday’s running comprised effectively a single competitive stage, as even the shakedown counted as part of the rally’s opening double-test on German soil.
After the first leg of 25 competitive kilometres, Pajari and Salminen held fourth place overall, just 5.6 seconds adrift of early leader Sébastien Ogier. Weather conditions were consistent for all, though the timing of the second stage start proved pivotal: the early runners benefited from the last of the daylight, while those starting later wrestled with the fading light – unsure whether to rely on auxiliary lamps or not. Reflective anti-cut markers also caused significant glare under the powerful lights, making visibility a challenge.
Friday’s itinerary covered all three host countries, beginning in Germany before traversing Austria and finishing the day’s loop in the Czech Republic. The Czech stages, narrower and more technical, were expected to prove the sternest test. Pajari started strongly – second fastest on the day’s second stage, missing Kalle Rovanperä’s benchmark by just one-tenth of a second.
“That one felt cleaner – a good run. The next stage will be quite a challenge in many ways,” forecast Pajari.
His prediction proved accurate. On the treacherously narrow and slippery Czech test, Ogier and Rovanperä excelled while others lost time. Pajari admitted some surprise at the gap:
“It was certainly interesting. I didn’t think we’d drop that much – we felt quite quick on parts of it,” he reflected.
The data bore him out: 24.4 seconds were lost in the opening 7.5 kilometres, but only around six seconds over the remaining 16.
After a tire-change service, the stage was repeated, and though the pattern was similar, Pajari halved the deficit to the leaders.
“Better than the first run, but still not quite where I want to be. In places, we were too cautious.”
A well-driven Austrian stage followed, yielding fourth-fastest time, only 1.8 seconds off the pace.
“Somewhere between the start and the finish, we should be a bit faster,” he smiled wryly.
The loop concluded back in Germany after dark, where all crews now faced true night conditions. Drivers’ feedback at the stop line was almost uniform.
“It’s great fun driving in the dark, but challenging too. The reflection from the anti-cut devices caused glare from the lights. Overall, a good day – a few strong times and some not so good,” summarised Pajari.
At day’s end, Pajari lay seventh overall, 56 seconds from the lead.
Saturday’s route ventured north-east, with morning stages in Germany followed by a long loop in the Czech Republic. The opening test saw little change in order, but overnight rain had left the Czech roads perilously slick, spreading the field once again. Ogier’s rally came to a premature end when a puncture sent him off the road and into a tree.
“A few moments out there, and your confidence takes a knock. Not the most enjoyable, but there’s always something to learn,” Pajari commented.
As conditions improved slightly on the following stage near Klatovy, the Finn regained rhythm before returning to service. A cautious tyre choice for the repeat loop – including cross-mounted wet-weather tyres – proved overly conservative.
“We fitted a couple of wets for the muddy sections, but clearly that was too careful a tactic,” admitted Pajari after another challenging run.
A revised damper setup brought improvement on the final Czech stage of the afternoon.
“We adjusted the dampers slightly, and it made a positive difference.”
The day ended once again in Germany under the night sky. Responding to driver feedback, organisers had repositioned the anti-cut markers to prevent glare from auxiliary lights. Pajari posted the sixth-fastest time on the final test, matching his overall position in the standings.
“Fairly okay – nothing special, but probably could’ve been better. Still, solid,” he summarised.
Sunday’s opener, straddling the German-Austrian border, was interrupted early when Thierry Neuville struck a bridge parapet, forcing the stage’s first pass to be cancelled for later crews. On the following test, Pajari managed to narrow the gap to Adrien Fourmaux ahead.
“Didn’t feel great – extremely slippery all the way through. We just need to be sensible now; not many kilometres left to catch Adrien.”
The penultimate stage went smoothly until a late mistake cost a few seconds in a tight junction.
“The end section is so narrow the car barely fits. I wish I’d had a clean run there on the first pass too,” he noted.
Heading into the final Power Stage, there was still plenty at stake: Ott Tänak was only 2.2 seconds ahead, and Takamoto Katsuta just 2.3 seconds up the road on the Sunday classification. Pajari rose to the occasion, finishing fifth on the Power Stage and collecting a bonus championship point. Katsuta narrowly outpaced him, while Tänak – despite a misjudged tyre choice – held him off by 1.9 seconds and clung to his second place overall.
By the finish, Pajari had closed significantly on Fourmaux, missing out by just 9.3 seconds to remain sixth overall.
“Quite okay for me. We had some good stage times, but there’s still a lot to learn – that’s part of the game. Plenty of positives to take from this rally, and we’ll keep pushing towards the front. Thanks to the team for all their work and congratulations for yet another World Manufacturers’ Title.” concluded Pajari at the finish.
The next round of the World Rally Championship takes place in Japan, 6–9 November 2025.