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Pajari Leads Part-Timer Paddon After Punishing WRC Rally Paraguay Friday

Pajari survived repeated tire trouble to hold an 11.9-second lead over Hayden Paddon after eight gravel stages, while several contenders retired.

  • On Friday, Toyota's Sami Pajari finished WRC Rally Paraguay's opening leg with an 11.9s lead, emerging ahead after a chaotic day of tire failures that struck nearly every leading contender.
  • Tire problems devastated the field across the day's eight stages on the brutal red-earth roads around Encarnacion, forcing drivers to battle equipment durability as punctures and delaminations mounted.
  • Hyundai part-timer Hayden Paddon holds second, 11.9s behind, while championship leader Elfyn Evans sits third; local hero Diego Dominguez leads WRC2 by 39.4s.
  • Pajari said "I need to be happy with how we did," noting tire performance felt like a "lottery" and the rally remains in its early stages.
  • Saturday's second leg spans nine special stages covering 85.34 miles, including the new Bella Vista Sur test, with heavy rain anticipated across the route.
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18 Articles

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If Ogier, Katsuta and Neuville have given up, the Finn leads the South American race.

·Paris, France
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L'ÉQUIPEL'ÉQUIPE
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While Adrien Fourmaux took advantage of the first four stages of the day to gradually climb back to third place. Sami Pajari got scared by hitting a slope, but the Finn remained firmly ahead of Hayden Paddon.

·Boulogne-Billancourt, France
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RACER broke the news on Friday, August 28, 2026.
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