The reigning FIA Junior World Rally Champion Sami Pajari is returning to the championship as the 2022 season-opener starts in Rally Sweden this weekend with a new era when the championship switches to four-wheel-drive.
Having won the title last season in Rally Spain, Pajari choosed after a long-time of thinking to stay in the championship even if he won a WRC3 seat, marks the third driver to do so in 15 years – earlier were the two Swedes of Per-Gunnar Andersson and Patrik Sandell.
Heading into 2022 with co-driver Enni Malkonen, Pajari has already contested a first rally in the new entry-level Ford Fiesta Rally3, when he won the season-opener in Rallye Monte-Carlo and he also won the local Arctic Lapland Rally in the RC4 class – which hosted the snow and ice round in WRC last year.
Pajari is confident heading to Sweden after two wins on snow and ice already this year: It’s a new season starting with new things going on, being the reigning champion could give me some extra confidence, but it’s still a new year and a new championship. Monte Carlo was a really nice start to the season, we have also done a rally in Finland so at least I have some feeling on the snow. I think it will be a good challenge this year, we have Jon, Lauri and Robert who are strong, it won’t be easy but it’s nice to have good competition.”