Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen finally won Rally Finland, laying to rest the ghost of last year when they crashed out on the penultimate stage.

It was a scintillating final Wolf Power Stage which Rovanperä won by two seconds from Takamoto Katsuta and Sebastien Ogier.

The Finnish wunderkind took the Super Sunday bonus points and moves into second place in the championship standings, just three points off Elfyn Evans who reclaimed the title lead after a disastrous weekend for Ott Tanak.

Tanak suffered a delaminated tyre which caused a high-speed spin on the final stage while Adrien Fourmaux suffered yet another puncture and retired four km from the end of the stage to avoid further damage to his car.

Elfyn Evans brought his GR Yaris home in fourth overall having won the morning’s first stage by 0.4 seconds from Ogier.

Sami Pajari came home in fifth overall, giving Toyota a top five lockout, only the second time in history, a feat last achieved by Lancia 35 years ago on Rally Portugal in 1990.

Thierry Neuville brought his Hyundai home in sixth overall, having run in second place until his fateful puncture on stage 16 on Saturday afternoon.

Josh McErlean was the top M-Sport Ford crew in seventh, followed by Martins Sesks and Gregoire Munster. Ott Tanak salvaged a single point for tenth.

Roope Korhonen fended off TGR Team boss Jari-Matti Latvala to claim his maiden WRC2 victory with Robert Virves rounding out the podium.

Read Motorsport Monday for the full story on the fastest rally in history where Rovanperä averaged 129.9km/h!

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Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen dominated the opening day of Rally Islas Canarias, winning all six stages to enjoy a commanding 26.8 second lead over Sebastian Ogier and Vincent Landais, heading a stunning Toyota Gazoo Racing 1-2-3-4-5.

Rovanperä laid down his marker as early as the shakedown stage on Thursday, setting the quickest time by just over four seconds. The double world champion made his GR Yaris Rally1 obey his every command around the twisty, sometimes narrow 118.8km of tarmac stages.

Ogier had the measure of Evans – who opened the road – but the gap between the two Yaris drivers was just 9.6 seconds.

The championship leaders Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin were doing what they needed to do, setting a risk-free pace knowing their title rivals Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were enduring a miserable day along with the entire Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team squad.

Adrien Fourmaux was the leading Hyundai across the morning loop of stages while Ott Tanak/Martin Järveoja and Neuville languished in seventh and eighth respectively, mystified by their i20 N’s poor handling. To put that in perspective, Neuville lost 13 seconds in the opening stage alone…“Honestly, it’s not very enjoyable and it’s just not working,” Neuville said. “I can’t take any line. Nothing is working.”

Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen ended the opening three-stage loop 0.2 seconds behind Fourmaux; after the first stage after the midday service, Pajari had moved ahead of the Frenchman with the fifth Toyota of Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston lining up the Hyundai who duly took fifth in stage five.

From being the fastest Hyundai before lunch, Fourmaux became the slowest and lost positions to Neuville and Tanak although the advantage between the two champions was a whisker at 0.8 seconds with Fourmaux another 0.7 seconds further back. There were no happy faces in the Korean camp…

The M-Sport Ford Pumas were – there’s no other description – pedestrian, propping up the bottom of the Rally1 timing sheets. In the opening stage, Munster was more than one second per kilometer off the pace and ended the day a whopping 2’11” off the lead. Both he and Josh McErlean reported handling issues.

In WRC2, Yohan Rossel and Arnaud Dunand were doing a “Rovanperä”, winning all six stages in their Citroen C3, if not at a canter, sufficiently quick to hold off the Spanish Rally Champion Alejandro Cachón/Borja Rozada in their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Leo Rossel Guillaume Mercoiret in the second PH Sport Citroen rounded out the class podium.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team has announced its line-up for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season as it further strengthens its squad of drivers with a mix of young talent and title-winning experience.

After winning eight out of 13 rallies in 2024 and claiming a fourth consecutive manufacturers’ championship at the season-ending Rally Japan, TGR-WRT will enter 2025 with the mission to defend its crown and fight for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles. It will be able to count on an expanded line-up of cars and drivers, with four or five GR Yaris Rally1 entries set to appear on each event.

Joining the team to start his first full season at the highest level will be22 year-old Finn Sami Pajari, following an impressive 2024 season in which he won the WRC2 drivers’ championship driving the GR Yaris Rally2 car and performed well in his first three outings in Rally1 machinery in Finland, Chile and Central Europe. Pajari’s inclusion in the TGR-WRT roster demonstrates their commitment to developing young drivers as well as the GR Yaris Rally2’s role in providing a pathway to the top of the sport.

Pajari, who will confirm the identity of his co-driver in due course, is one of four drivers who are set to feature on every rally.

Double world champions Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen will return to competing full-time with the team in 2025 after taking four wins from seven starts during a partial campaign this year. Elfyn Evans and co-driver Scott Martin, winners of last weekend’s Rally Japan, continue for their sixth successive season with the team, with Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston also returning for another year. Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais will once more contest a partial schedule of selected events after scoring three victories this season.

Jari-Matti Latvala will continue in the role of Team Principal and will drive one of the most successful Toyota rally cars – the Celica ST185 – in Toyota Gazoo Racing colours in the FIA European Historic Rally Championship.

Juha Kankkunen will take up the role of Deputy Team Principal. A four-time world champion, who won the last of his titles driving the Toyota Celica ST185 in 1993, Kankkunen will bring considerable experience to share with the drivers and other team members

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In a thrilling showdown in Forum8 Rally Japan, Sebastian Ogier delivered a champion’s drive to win the Wolf Power Stage and the crucial points Toyota needed to break the tie in the Manufacturers’ standings heading into the final stage of the year. Elfyn Evans was third in the final stage and Takamoto Katsuta fourth fastest to seal the all-important Manufacturers’ Championship by three points over season-long rivals Hyundai.

Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe wrapped up their maiden WRC Driver’s and Co-Driver’s titles, sealed when Ott Tanak and Martin Järveoja crashed out of the lead in Sunday’s first stage. The Belgians became the Korean brand’s first Driver and Co-Driver champions.

Evans and Scott Martin won the final round of the season, his ninth WRC victory, 1 minute 27 ahead of Ogier while Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria clinched their fifth podium of the years in their M-Sport Ford Puma.

Neuville won the Super Sunday standings from Andreas Mikkelsen and Ogier.

Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen finished second in WRC2, exactly what they need to clinch the WRC2 world championship.

Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov dominated the category in their Citroen C3 Rally 2.

Read the full report in Motorsport Monday tomorrow

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With three WRC2 victories to their name this year – including last week’s WRC Acropolis Rally Greece in tough and demanding conditions – Sami Pajari and Enni Malkonen have been handed the keys to the GR Yaris Rally1 for WRC Chile at the end of September, and the all-tarmac WRC Central European Rally in October.

Pajari and Malkonen made a strong impression on their Rally1 debut in Finland, ending in fourth position overall and taking their first stage win at the sport’s top level.

On the basis of these latest impressive performances, TGR-WRT has decided to present Pajari with the chance to further test his skills in the top category, as part of its belief and commitment in developing young talent on different roads around the world.

The 22-year-old has been brought into the team’s four-car line-up for the South American event and will join Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier in action as TGR attempts to close down the 35 points gap to Manufacturers’ Championship rivals Hyundai.

Takamoto Katsuta will return to the team’s line-up for the rest of the season at the Central European Rally and his home event, Rally Japan. The team continues to give Katsuta, as well as co-driver Aaron Johnston, its full support and hopes this short break in an intense and competitive season can provide an opportunity to reset and come back stronger.

At the Central European Rally on October 17-20, the team’s full line-up will comprise of Evans, Ogier, Katsuta and Pajari taking on the challenging and varied tarmac roads in Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.

TGR-WRT Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala said: “After the great performance that Sami Pajari showed at Rally Finland, we wanted to see more of what he can do in a Rally1 car. The main goal in Finland was to gain experience, but he already demonstrated his high potential. In Greece too, he again showed the high level he’s been driving at with the GR Yaris Rally2 car. As we look to invest further in talented young drivers for the future, it’s important to learn more about Sami’s abilities, firstly on some different gravel roads on the other side of the world in Chile, and then on asphalt in Central Europe. He will be driving a fourth car, so there is no pressure upon him to contribute towards the championship. For us it’s more about investing in the future and gaining that experience. For Taka, it has been a tough season, but he has the full support of the team and everybody knows that he has the speed. With this break, he has a chance to reset and recharge ready for the last two events which will be important – especially Rally Japan of course, where we hope he can be fighting for the podium places again.”

The up-and-coming Finn added : “It is amazing to have this chance to drive the GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid on two more events this season. It feels really nice to know that TGR-WRT is putting this trust in me. Rally Finland was like a dream come true for me, and after that of course I just wanted to drive a Rally1 car more and more, but I could not have expected that the opportunity would come again so soon. I’m really looking forward to Rally Chile, with some nice gravel roads that are mostly flowing and high-speed, so a bit similar to Finland. Central Europe can be even more demanding given how wet and muddy we saw it can be last year. For my first time in a Rally1 car on asphalt on such a rally, it could be quite a challenge but it’s one that I’m really happy to face, of course.”

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Thierry Neuville extended his WRC lead to 34 points after he and co-driver Martin Wydaeghe won the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, heading a podium lockout for Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT.

Sebastian Ogier rolled in the final Wolf Power Stage when he carried too much speed into a left hander. The crew got going again and completed the stage, crucially securing the15 points earned on Friday and Saturday. In all, 20 minutes was lost.

Dani Sordo/Candido Carrera and Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja both moved up one position with Tanak moving back into second in the championship standings.

Hyundai now leads Toyota Gazoo Racing by 35 points in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Adrien Fourmaux/Alex Coria blasted their M-Sport Ford Puma to the Power Stage win.

After 305.3km of brutal stages, Sami Pajari/Enni Malkonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) and crowd-funded Robert Virves/Aleks Lesk (Skoda Fabia WRC2) tied to the tenth of a second for the WRC2 win! The victory went to Pajari – crucial for his championship hopes – as he set the fastest time in SS1.

Read Motorsport Monday for a full report

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Rising talent Sami Pajari will now make his first top-level FIA World Rally Championship start on home soil at Secto Rally Finland.

Pajari, 22, had been scheduled to debut a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 in Latvia next month, but a shuffle in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s driver line-up has altered those plans.

Eight-time WRC champion Sébastien Ogier will now drive the team’s fourth GR Yaris car in Latvia, joining Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta for the all-new event. As a result, Pajari’s will make maiden top-flight appearance in Finland in August.

Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala explained how the decision aimed to provide Pajari with optimal preparation for his debut while also maintaining focus on the manufacturers’ championship title race, in which the Japanese marque currently trails Hyundai by 13 points. Evans currently holds third in the drivers’ series while Hyundai men Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak lock out the top two positions.

“We are strongly committed to developing young drivers for the future, and also to maximising our results in the present,” the Finn explained. “This is why we will still bring four cars to Latvia and now take the opportunity to have Sébastien there alongside Kalle, Elfyn and Takamoto. Seb has been very strong so far this year and, with the championship being so tight, we want to bring all the strength and experience we have to keep up the fight.

“I think it always helps [Sami] to get into a new car on roads that you know well, and if we consider that his chance to test the car was always going to be on Finnish roads, this will now be strong preparation for Rally Finland. So, we believe this is another suitable opportunity for Sami to drive our Rally1 car, and it’s also going to be a great thing for his fans and the event itself.

“Still, as we said previously, we won’t be putting any pressure or expectation upon him in terms of result: we just want to see him adapt to the car and try to gain as much experience as possible,” he added.

Pajari admitted that the prospect of competing on his home roads in top-level machinery is ‘even more special’, saying: “Latvia would have been a new rally for everyone and an equal start for me in a way, but in Finland of course I know the stages generally very well and our testing will be in Finland, so to have that chance to prepare the car on roads that are very similar to the rally will be a good help for me.

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Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will give talented young driver Sami Pajari the opportunity to make his debut at rallying’s top level when he drives a GR YARIS Rally1 at Rally Latvia next month.

Pajari and co-driver Enni Mälkönen will compete in an additional fourth TGR-WRT entry alongside three of the team’s regular crews on the fast gravel event, which is new on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar for 2024.

22-year-old Finnish driver Pajari is regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in rallying. He became the youngest ever Junior WRC champion when he claimed the title in 2021, and last year achieved his first WRC2 victory at Rally Finland.

This year, Pajari has been driving the new GR Yaris Rally2 car in the highly competitive WRC2 class, where he has impressed with stage-winning speed on all surfaces while delivering valued feedback to engineers. At last weekend’s Rally Italia Sardegna he claimed a commanding WRC2 win and finished in sixth position overall.

Granting the opportunity for Pajari to step up to Rally1 in Latvia demonstrates TGR-WRT’s ambition to provide a path for young talent to reach rallying’s world stage – part of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s wider global commitment to support young drivers in developing their skills and achieving their dreams.

Jari-Matti Latvala, Toyota Gazoo Racing Team Principal said:

“Alongside our TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRC Challenge Program, where since 2015 we have been training young Japanese drivers, we also keep an eye out for the most talented young drivers competing in the WRC support categories. This year we’ve seen that Sami Pajari is driving really well with our GR Yaris Rally2 and we would like to see his potential in our Rally1 car. Sami has been making big steps and getting better results, with a magnificent weekend in Sardinia. He’s not only showing great speed but also providing our engineers with the feedback that help us make an ever-better car for all our customers. Rally Latvia is a fast and flowing event like Rally Finland and Sami also likes the roads in the Baltic region, so they suit him well and should help him feel more at home. It’s also on fast roads like these that you can really feel and understand how the aerodynamics of a Rally1 car are working. So we hope that Sami and Enni can gain some nice experience there and learn about the car and the step up from Rally2.”

Sami Pajari is excited about his pending Rally 1 debut:

“It feels amazing to have this opportunity with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. This is something that I have been working towards for many years, but it is not so often that there is a seat available in a Rally1 car. It will be a huge challenge because there are so many new things to learn, and the pace at the top level is also really high. But I will try to not focus on the result too much or feel any pressure on that side, and just aim to enjoy and gain all the experience I can for the future. At least in Latvia the stages are mostly fast and flowing, something that I’m quite used to from Finland, and it’s also basically a fresh event for everyone, so in this sense we are more or less starting from the same place as the top drivers. I hope that if we can do well, then maybe there can be a chance for something nice in the future, but that’s something I can only think about much later. For now, I’ll just focus on this one rally and enjoy it.”

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