Reigning Junior WRC Champion, Sami Pajari claimed a jaw-dropping six Wolf Stage Win Points on the opening full day of action on Rally de Portugal.

The Finn’s day got off to a troublesome start with a puncture on the opening stage of the day, a sign of the drama and attrition ahead for Junior WRC.

William Creighton found himself in contention for another podium spot at the end of Friday’s morning loop of stages but after the second pass of the Gois stage, Creighton had damaged too many tyres, running out of spares, bringing his day to premature end.

Jon Armstrong got off to a great start on Friday, taking an early lead that stretched to over a minute by the end of stage six after claiming a stage win on the opening stage of the day. A treacherous second pass of the Arganil stage lay ahead which saw the Northern Irishman’s fortunes change, suffering mechanical damage, forcing an early retirement for the day.

Next on the list of Junior WRC’s list of casualties was Kenya’s McRae Kimathi who was running as high as third in Junior WRC during the eighth stage of the rally until he had an accident, stopping any hopes of a dream podium finish.

Despite taking a stage win on the second stage of the day, Robert Virves had a troublesome morning loop. Through perseverance and some impressive times, the Estonian kept his head in the game, ending the day with a respectable third following an exhausting day of hard rallying.

Sitting second overnight in Junior WRC is Lauri Joona who drove a trouble-free day to deliver a solid second place and is keeping the pressure on Pajari with over half of the rally still left to run.

Pajari’s Friday saw some truly exception stage times there were so intense, he was winning some stages by more than thirty seconds allowing him to claim three Wolf Stage Win points.

Despite having some trouble early on in the day, Pajari kept his nose clean which saw him end the day with an impressive three-minute lead over fellow countryman Joona.