Rally Sweden - SS12: Sami Pajari shows his fangs

Toyota continues to dominate the Rally Sweden, this time it is Sami Pajari who takes the scratch time during the twelfth stage, the second pass through Vännäs.

Published 14/02/2026 à 15:56

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Rally Sweden – SS12: Sami Pajari shows his fangs

After discovering a special stage completely free of any tracks this morning, the drivers WRC They had to contend with a track in much worse condition, with considerable sweeping and some gravel appearing in places, despite temperatures dropping to nearly -17°C! Sami Pajari fared best, setting the fastest time. The Finn, who was expected to defend his third overall position against a resurgent Oliver Solberg, instead focused his efforts on challenging Takamoto Katsuta for second place.

The Japanese driver, still struggling with a significant lack of grip on his Yaris, managed to gain seven tenths of a second on the leader. rally, Elfyn Evans. However, he conceded 3,2 seconds to Pajari, which reduces his lead over the Finn to 9,7 seconds overall, with three stages still to be run this Saturday.

Esapekka Lappi gave cheer to the team Hyundai with the second fastest time on the special stage, while his teammates Thierry Neuville et Adrien fourmaux They still encountered difficulties. The rider from northern France was nonetheless pleased with the improved handling of his machine after some "fairly extreme" changes to his shock absorbers; the last three stages will be crucial in determining whether he's heading in the right direction or not. The thirteenth stage starts at 16:05 PM.