Pajari leads Croatia Rally as Friday drama wipes out Evans and Solberg

Sami Pajari ended Friday with the lead of Croatia Rally after a bruising opening leg in Istria turned the event on its head and left two of the pre-rally favourites on the sidelines.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver completed the day’s eight all-asphalt stages 13.7sec clear of Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville, while Safari Rally Kenya winner Takamoto Katsuta sat just nine-tenths further back in third. But the gaps only told part of the story after a day of crashes, punctures and constantly changing grip on roads making their WRC debut.

Championship leader Elfyn Evans had looked firmly in control through the opening two stages. Running first on the road, the Welshman made the most of the cleaner surface and won both SS1 and SS2 to build a 15.8sec advantage over Pajari as those behind battled increasing dirt and loose stones dragged onto the racing line by aggressive cutting.

That advantage disappeared spectacularly on SS3, however, when Evans went off the road on Beram – Cerovlje after carrying too much speed into a right-hander. Although both he and co-driver Scott Martin were unhurt, the incident ended what had been an almost perfect start.

“We’ve been caught out basically,” Evans said later. “The corner was a bit tighter than expected and we were way too fast and we went off into the trees, unfortunately. It is very disappointing. Obviously, it was a strong start and things were going well, but yeah, it didn’t end so well.”

Evans was not the only Toyota driver to hit trouble. Oliver Solberg’s rally lasted barely five kilometres before the Swede spun and beached his GR Yaris Rally1 on the opening stage after clipping a bank. It was a bitter blow on his first dry asphalt start in the car.

“I had a little bit of understeer and we just tapped the rear with a rock face,” he explained. “It is a shame. I live and breathe this every day, it is all I know in life. When it doesn’t go to plan it is tough.”

Pajari was the man who capitalised best. The Finn was never the outright star of the morning, but he kept his composure as others unravelled and moved into the lead before posting a fastest time on SS4. From there he resisted pressure from both Neuville and Katsuta through the afternoon to secure his first overnight lead in the FIA World Rally Championship.

“The competition is so tough that you need to push,” Pajari said. “I was enjoying the afternoon a lot, the morning was not straightforward. It is only one day done. It has been a pleasure to drive.”

Neuville looked increasingly threatening as the day wore on. Unhappy with the balance of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 for much of the morning, the Belgian nevertheless stayed in touch before a strong afternoon charge brought back-to-back stage wins on SS6 and SS7. He headed into the final test just 6.3sec behind Pajari but dropped time again on the second pass through Učka and had to settle for second overnight.

“There is no balance in this kind of condition,” Neuville admitted after the final stage. “We are in a good position and we had a good day and it is a day we have been looking for, for a long time. It is a small step forward but a big step for us.”

Katsuta, meanwhile, delivered another measured and mature performance. The Japanese driver backed off on the opening stage after passing Solberg’s stricken car and then steadily built speed as the day progressed. He remained firmly in the lead fight throughout and ended Friday just 14.6sec from the top.

Behind the leading trio, Hayden Paddon completed the first full day in fourth overall on his Croatia Rally debut. The New Zealander was rarely fully comfortable on the slippery, cut-up roads but kept out of trouble while others faltered, finishing 1min 15.0sec from the lead.

Adrien Fourmaux recovered to fifth after a costly front-right puncture on SS2 ruined his hopes of challenging near the front. The Frenchman dropped more than a minute in that incident, then spent the rest of the leg clawing back time.

M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean had looked set for a solid result before a puncture on SS7 cost him heavily. He fell away from the Rally1 fight and slipped outside the top five by day’s end, while team-mate Jon Armstrong was another to suffer heartbreak. After an eye-catching start that briefly put him third overall, the Northern Irishman lost time with a puncture and then retired on SS4 after running wide and hitting a bank.

In WRC2, Yohan Rossel emerged as the category leader after a day that also included multiple punctures and position changes among the frontrunners. His Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 team-mate Nikolay Gryazin ended Friday second in class, 22.1sec back, with Alejandro Cachón third.

Saturday – billed by many drivers as the toughest leg of the rally – brings eight stages and more than 115km competitive kilometres.

Standings after Friday (SS8 /20):

1. S Pajari / M Salminen FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 1h 12m 18.5s

2. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +13.7s

3. T Katsuta / A Johnston JPN Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +14.6s

4. H Paddon / J Kennard NZL Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1m 15.0s

5. A Fourmaux / A Coria FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +1m 54.6s

6. Y Rossel / A Dunand FRA Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 +2m 45.9