Enni Mälkönen secures WRC2 Co-Driver championship title after second place in Japan

With a second place at the Rally Japan, co-driver Enni Mälkönen secured her second championship title in WRC after becoming the first female driver to do so in 2022, this time for the first time in the WRC2 class. Her season was marked by three victories, smart drives and exciting rallies.

Photo credits: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool

The duo of Enni Mälkönen and Sami Pajari headed to Japan knowing that a second-place finish would secure them both the WRC2 and Challenger class titles, and the Finnish pair delivered, clinching the runner-up spot to become world champions.

For co-driver Mälkönen, this marked her second WRC title, following her historic WRC3 victory in 2022 when she became the first-ever female champion in a WRC-sanctioned category—shortly before Reeta Hämäläinen achieved the same milestone in WRC2.

While Pajari and Mälkönen focused on maintaining second place throughout the event, rally winner Nikolay Gryazin dominated from start to finish in his Citroën C3 Rally2, ultimately claiming victory with an advantage of more than 1 minute and 46 seconds in the final stage—his third win of the season.

Despite Gryazin’s commanding performance, all eyes were on Pajari, Mälkönen, and the new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Friday began with strategy planning, and everything went according to plan. Despite suffering a puncture in SS2, the duo secured second place by the end of the day, comfortably ahead of local hero Hiroki Arai in his Škoda Fabia R5, which was an older car compared to those of his rivals.

Saturday was once again about holding their position, but Pajari and Mälkönen also displayed impressive speed, winning three stages and establishing a comfortable gap ahead of third place. Gryazin continued his dominant performance, maintaining his lead heading into the final day.

Sunday brought no significant changes, with Gryazin securing victory at Rally Japan and Pajari and Mälkönen finishing second. This result crowned them champions in both the WRC2 and Challenger classes. For Enni Mälkönen, this was her second WRC championship title, further cementing her legacy as a trailblazer for women in rallying.

However, Enni’s journey in WRC1 will not continue for now, as she and Sami Pajari will part ways after Rally Japan. Nonetheless, her achievements—two WRC championship titles—speak volumes and are expected to pave the way for her to reach the highest ranks of world rallying.

She has already made her mark in the top tier of the series, with three guest starts this season showcasing her talent as one of the sport's finest.

"As you know, I will no longer be working as Sami's co-driver", she wrote, after her teammate announced he will step up to WRC but with a different co-driver. "Sami and I have had big dreams together, we've put in the hard work and achieved them."

"Sami's decision to make a change has taken me by surprise and I'm understandably very sad about it", she continued, in a heartfelt post. "This was not the decision that I wanted. And for clarification: I have of course known about Sami's decision before today."

"I have always done my best and together we had great achievements; 9 wins, 14 podiums and WRC2 championship. I have dedicated over 10 years of my life to rallying and I hope and believe that my journey towards the top continues. When one door closes another one opens."

The Finnish co-driver has nevertheless proven her worth, inspired millions, and will undoubtedly continue to carve her own path in the sport.

Photo by Predrag Vuckovic / Red Bull Content Pool