Sami Pajari leads Rally of Paraguay after first day

Finnish driver Sami Pajari has emerged as the early leader of the Rally of Paraguay, the eleventh event in the World Rally Championship (WRC). Pajari, 24, completed the opening day's 153.38 kilometers, spread across eight stages on gravel and red dirt, with a leading time of 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 28.8 seconds.

Pajari, piloting a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, was consistently among the top five drivers through the initial stages. He seized the lead during the seventh stage and held onto it through the remainder of the day's competition, showcasing strong performance on the challenging Paraguayan terrain.

New Zealand's Hayden Paddon, driving a Hyundai i20 N Rally1, finished the day in second place, trailing Pajari by 11.9 seconds. Meanwhile, Elfyn Evans, the current championship leader, faced difficulties. He suffered a tire puncture during the seventh stage, which cost him valuable time. Despite this setback, Evans managed to round out the podium in third place, 56.3 seconds behind Pajari.

With these results, Evans maintains his overall lead in the championship standings with 216 points. However, Pajari, now second with 196 points, has closed the gap by 10 points on the first day of the rally. The Rally of Paraguay continues with a further 137.34 kilometers across nine sections on Saturday, before concluding with a final 68.16 kilometers on Sunday.