Pajari Leads Rally of Paraguay After Stage 2, Section 1

Sami Pajari continues to dominate the Rally of Paraguay, holding a significant lead after the first section of Stage 2. The Finnish driver, who also won Stage 1, finished the initial four stages with a 22.8-second advantage over New Zealand's Hayden Paddon.

The rally, the eleventh round of the 2026 World Rally Championship, features strong local representation in the top 10. Paraguayan drivers Diego Domínguez Bejarano and Fau Zaldívar are currently seventh and ninth overall. Domínguez Bejarano, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, trails Pajari by 4 minutes and 15.9 seconds, while Zaldívar, in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, is 6 minutes and 1.9 seconds behind the leader.

In the WRC2 category, Domínguez Jr. leads his rivals, holding a 34-second lead over Gus Greensmith and a 1 minute and 46-second gap over Zaldívar. Zaldívar managed to win one of the morning's special stages, the 21.15-kilometer Bella Vista 1.

The day's competition is far from over, with five more special stages scheduled. This includes a repeat of the morning's four stages and the addition of the short 3.10-kilometer Costanera Encarnación stage. The drivers will navigate through the stages in Hohenau, Itapúa Department, Paraguay.