26.2.2012 Mikko Pajunen again third in the Finnish Rally Championship
Mikko Pajunen concluded his winter rally season with a third place in Mikkeli on Saturday. The Finn from Jyväskylä, who drives in a Tommi Mäkinen Racing four-wheel drive Subaru, carried on his habit of climbing to the podium. Pajunen and his co-diver Kaj Lindström have finished third in all of the three Finnish championship rallies this winter.
The top three was again identical: Esapekka Lappi won and Juha Salo came second, just as they have done all winter. In the Mikkeli event Pajunen was 37 seconds behind Salo and a minute and a half from Lappi.
- We would have needed a miracle to finish any higher. The same result was on the cards. Driving wise everything went alright, and the car was fine. The hard weather affected our speed a little bit. The heavy car sank into the soft snow and couldnt quite go that fast. But the roads were fantastic, said Pajunen.
In a rally radio interview co-driver Kaj Lindström used the following words to compare the weight of their car to Lappis lighter S2000-class car.
- We would have been even if Lappi had had a ski doo in his boot.
The Finnish Rally Championship will now retire for a long spring break. The season continues in June in Lapua. Pajunen is third in the overall standings. Lappi is leading with maximum points (77 p.), Pajunen´s tally is 52.5 points.
- We will try to develop the car a little bit over the spring. The situation is good. Nothing is lost, and I am learning new things about this car all the time, said Pajunen.
Text: Miiro Koivula
Photo: Marko Mäkinen
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