The Rally Japan, which concluded on Sunday, proved to be a successful event for Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 crew Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen. A podium finish had been the target heading into the rally, and the Finnish duo achieved exactly that by securing third place. Toyota celebrated a remarkable 1-2-3-4 result in its home event, but there was also a sense of nostalgia in the air as this marked the final asphalt rally for the current generation of Rally1 cars.
The rally began on Friday with the new 12.9-kilometre Asuke special stage, which started well for the Finnish crew. Pajari and Salminen set the second-fastest time, just 0.2 seconds behind stage winner Oliver Solberg. Drivers throughout the field reported unexpectedly slippery conditions in places, but few could have anticipated what was still to come.
The next challenge was the 24.29-kilometre Isegami’s Tunnel stage, which has often produced drama in previous years. Overnight rain had left dirt and moisture on the road, giving those running at the front of the field a slight advantage as they effectively cleaned the surface for the cars behind. For Pajari, this stage was perhaps the most difficult of the weekend. He posted the sixth-fastest time, conceding 26.1 seconds to Elfyn Evans.
The following stage was an improvement, although still not entirely satisfactory. Several drivers reported unexpectedly slippery sections, possibly caused by a thin layer of moss on the road surface that became increasingly slick as more cars passed over it. By the midday service, Pajari held fifth place overall, 32.2 seconds behind rally leader Evans.
The afternoon loop featured the same stages again, now in drier conditions. While more time was lost to the leaders, there were encouraging split times throughout the stages. On the final stage of the day, Pajari and Salminen delivered a much stronger performance and claimed their first stage win of the rally. By the end of Friday, they trailed the lead by 41.5 seconds, meaning the losses during the afternoon had been relatively modest.
“The opening stage went well, but after that we were a bit lost in terms of pace. The same continued for parts of the afternoon and we couldn’t really figure out why some sections were competitive while we lost a lot of time in others. On the final stage we managed to set the fastest time and the car felt good. Hopefully we’ve found the right direction for tomorrow,” Pajari said after Friday’s stages.
After the first three stages on Saturday, the crews arrived at the tyre-fitting zone. Following Friday’s closing stage win, Pajari and Salminen had experienced a somewhat subdued morning and felt that setup changes were needed to improve confidence behind the wheel.
The changes paid off immediately. Pajari’s pace on the opening afternoon stage was much closer to the front-runners, while Oliver Solberg damaged his rear suspension against a tree, allowing the Finns to move up to third overall.
“It was a bit better now, at least the feeling was better. We’ll keep trying to improve,” Pajari commented after the stage.
The next stage brought another fastest time, confirming that the crew had found a stronger rhythm.
“The plan was to improve in the afternoon and, in a way, prove to ourselves that it was possible. It seems we managed that. We still need to be smart with the tyres,” Pajari explained in the warm conditions.
The third stage of the afternoon was also strong, with Pajari conceding only 0.7 seconds to Evans. The day concluded with two runs over the 3.19-kilometre Fujioka spectator stage, which turned into something of a speciality for Pajari. He topped the timesheets on both passes.
Looking solely at the afternoon stages, Pajari and Salminen were the fastest crew of the field. Across the entire Saturday, they were only 2.9 seconds slower than Evans.
“Overall it was a very strong day, even though I’m not completely satisfied with the morning. The plan was to perform better in the afternoon and we achieved that. We took three stage wins and, most importantly, the confidence and feeling were there, which allowed us to run at the front. I’m really pleased with that. We’re in a good position now. There’s still one more day to go, and a long one at that, so we’ll try to continue as we did this afternoon.”
Six stages remained for Sunday. Ahead of Pajari was Sébastien Ogier in second place, 26.6 seconds up the road, while home favourite Takamoto Katsuta sat fourth, 26.9 seconds behind the Finn.
Katsuta’s determination to perform in front of his home crowd and score valuable Sunday points influenced Pajari’s approach, as allowing the Japanese driver too close could prove costly. After four of Sunday’s stages, Katsuta had reduced the gap to 19.1 seconds, but only two stages remained.
On the penultimate stage, the 20.49-kilometre Nukata test, Katsuta took another 5.4 seconds out of the deficit.
“The situation is good, everything is under control. One stage to go,” Pajari said calmly.
Katsuta was again slightly quicker on the Power Stage, but Pajari and Salminen still secured third place overall by a comfortable margin of 12.1 seconds. In addition to the podium finish, the crew collected two bonus points from the Power Stage and one point from the Sunday classification.
“It’s nice to be back on the podium. It’s a shame the streak ended in Portugal. I also feel a bit sad for these cars—this was their last asphalt rally. It’s been really cool to drive them,” Pajari reflected after the finish, bringing an era to a fitting close.
The FIA World Rally Championship continues with the Acropolis Rally Greece, taking place on June 25–28 in the scorching conditions of the Greek summer.