11.10.2014 Pajunen retired in Rally Due Valli

Finnish Mikko Pajunen and Jonne Halttunen participated Rally due Valli as a prize of winning Italian manufacture championship. They drove with totally new Renault Clio R3T.

- The car is a brand new. There is much more power and shock absorbers are new and also the brakes are better, tells Pajunen before the rally.

Rally Due Valli was driven on asphalt and got eleven stages during three days.

The weather was very foggy and roads were slipery on second day of the rally. Morning started well and Mikko took the best time in the first stage (SS2) on Saturday. Troubles started on stage 3.

- It was very difficult, there are places where you can´t see anything. Very hard, told Pajunen in the end of stage 3.

On the stage 4 spined Pajunen in the cross roads and got stucked in a ditch. He lost almost seven minutes.

After the service changed weather even worse.

- It rained cats and dogs and we had the dry weather tires. The car rose out of the road and we slided to the small ravine. The car is not damaged and we probaply could continue tomorrow, but we´ll get so much time lost that it doesen´t make sense to continue, says Halttunen in Saturday evening.

21.9.2014 Pajunen won Rally Adriatico class R3

19.9.2014 Rally Adriatico starts tomorrow

Rally Adriatico starts in the center of Ancona in Saturday evening. Mikko Pajunen and Jonne Halttunen has a good position in the Renaut Trophy in the second place.

- Nice roads indeed, compared to the previous San Marino gravel race. The first stages will be driven in the dark, and I´m hoping that the dust doesn´t rub too much. There was lack of visible in some places in the recce. But of course we start to win, try to drive as fast as we can and we´ll see how fast the Italians are on the gravel, says Pajunen

Shakedown will be driven on Saturday morning and the rally starts with 8.18km long stage which will be driven twice in the first evening. There will be nine stages for the Sunday and total of 108 stage kilometers.

Rally Adriatico and Pajunen are old pals, two years ago in Clio Cup Mikko won the Rally in class of R2

Live results of rally in here

31.8.2014 Pajunen fight to the Finnish line in Rally del Friuli

Second part of Renault Trophy was driven in Venezia Italy this weekend. Pajunen and Halttunen had a bad start for the rally after a puncture in the first special stage on friday and they gave four minutes advantage for his Italian colleagues.

- This is part of rallying. We try to grab as many rankings as we can and let´s see what the result is in the evening. Italians are driving very fast on tarmac, said co-driver Halttunen on saturday morning before the race.

Mikko and Jonne drove all stages close to the base-times on friday and saturday, but four minutes was too much in tough competition. In the end of the day were Pajunen and Halttunen on the 7th place and got 14 valuable points for the Renault trophy.

Standings in Renault trophy before the last rally are:

1. Ivan Ferrarotti 101

2. Mikko Pajunen 83

3. Nicolo Marchioro 80

4. Fabrizio J. Andolfi 77

Next race is Rally dell Adriatico on 19-21st september and it will be driven on gravel.

28.8.2014 Pajunen starts to Rally del Friuli tomorrow

Mikko Pajunen and Jonne Halttunen are on the line with GIMA Autosport´s Renault Clio R3 in Venezia Italy tomorrow. Pajunen won last rally in San Marino and starts from the first place of Renault Trophy group B.

- Tests went well, it was a bit weird on the tarmac at first but after a while got I a good touch to the car. Roads are challenging and rough for the tires. Some parts are slipery and dirty on the mountain. We try to start with good spirit and will observe how fast guys are going, says Pajunen in the eve of the rally

Rally begins on friday at 2 p.m local time and results can been followed from here

5.7.2014 Pajunen won class R3 in Rally San Marino

Pajunen got 15.3 second lead after first stage and in the end of the day it crowed to 23 seconds in the R3 class in Rally San Marino. Rally San Marino is part of the Italian Rally Championship (Cir). Mikko´s co-driver is old fellow Jonne Halttunen also from Jyväskylä. They drive with GIMA Autosport´s Renault Clio R3. On friday were driven four stages.

Pajunen got three fastest time of the four in class R3 in friday. But it did´t came without problems.

- In the first stage there was a car across the road and Ihad to slow down pace a little bit. The roads were in a very rough condition, said Pajunen evening service.

The third and fourth stages were driven on tarmac surface. It was over a year ago when Pajunen was on tarmac last time so those were challenging.

- It was difficult because I haven´t been driving for a long time on the tarmac. But never the less it was a fun, tells Pajunen.

Second day started also in Mikko´s command.

After morning stages had Pajunen also problems.

- We have no more front tires anymore, said Pajunen the morning service.

After 7 stages Mikko was leading 29.8 seconds. Rest of the day he´s only tarket was keep the pace.

During the day nabbed Pajunen and Halttunen four best times of eight.

- The stages were demanding and the road conditions were really hard to 2WD car. Lucily we got the good pace so we had time to drive carefully. A thirty-degree temperature gave ekstra challenge to this rally. So you can really call this sporting. Driving suites weigh quite a lot, says Pajunen with laughing.

In the finish line the ccap between Mikko and Nicolo Marchioro in the second-place (Renault Clio) was 21.1 seconds. Third in the class was Fabrigio Andolfi junior.

The fastest 4WD car was Paolo Andreucci with Peugeot 208 R5.

The next time Pajunen and Halttunen are on the stage 29.8.2014 in the Rally del Friuli Venezia Giulia.