Jazo Racing Team Celebrates Historic Hat-Trick at the Paraguay Rally

The Gazoo Racing team celebrated a historic victory at this year’s Rally Paraguay, as Sami Pajari and his co-driver Mikko Markkula secured their third consecutive win in the FIA World Rally Championship, driving the No. 5 Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. The duo became the first crew in the championship to achieve their first three victories across successive rounds, following their wins in Estonia and Finland.

Commenting on the achievement, Akio Toyoda, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Toyota Gazoo Racing, said: “I extend my gratitude to all team members who participated in Rally Paraguay, and to everyone who contributed to the success of this event. I congratulate you on this triumph after a week of rallies filled with challenges. I saw images of the service park after being hit by strong winds. There is no doubt that Rally Paraguay is one of the toughest rallies even under normal conditions, so I feel a great sense of relief that the event concluded safely. Thank you all for your efforts.”

Toyoda added: “Amid these conditions, Sami and Mikko delivered an excellent victory. Three consecutive wins after Estonia and Finland. Congratulations to you both, Sami and Mikko. Your determination to bounce back strongly has made the championship competition more intense. We still have three rallies remaining. Keep up the pressure, enjoy the competition, and give your all to win the championship title. I will continue to support you all.”

Rally Paraguay presented teams with a variety of challenges, including bumps and sharp drops, as well as sharp rocks beneath the muddy road surface, along with high temperatures. The near-constant forecasts of heavy rain posed another challenge, forcing the team to equip their Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 cars during the rally with high air intake systems, which are typically used only in the Kenya Safari Rally.

Pajari and Markkula faced an early setback when a water leak in the opening stage dropped them to seventh place in the overall standings. After controlling and fully repairing the issue in the service park, the duo managed to return to the top of the standings by the end of the opening day.

The pair gradually extended their lead to 24.1 seconds on the penultimate day before sealing the victory with a margin of 25.8 seconds. With this result, Pajari and Markkula completed a historic streak of three consecutive wins, following their first World Rally Championship victory at Rally Estonia and their subsequent win on home soil at Rally Finland.

Thanks to this win, Pajari maintains second place in the drivers’ championship, while Toyota Gazoo Racing crews continue to occupy the top four positions in the standings. Toyota leads the manufacturers’ championship by 173 points, with three rounds remaining in the season.