Real Acropolis!
Full of… drama was the second day of the EKO Acropolis Rally, with constant changes, even in the first place of the general classification, but also with many retirements of top crews.
It was the longest day of the race and the toughest, but everyone knew that. The Saturday timetable needed no special introduction: Pavliani, Karutes, Eleftherochori. Three of the most classic Greek special stages, repeated, sometimes muddy and sometimes dry, were the cause of repeated stalls, broken suspensions and changes at the top until the end of the leg of an undoubtedly exciting day.
On the first pass, the leader of the standings, Thierry Neuville, showed that with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 he had the right formula to get there. But, almost unexpectedly, on the second pass of the e.d. Pavliani, his front right suspension broke, causing him to retire. Sebastien Ogier in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, who was following in second place, took the lead, but with a rampaging Kalle Rovanpera following within striking distance. And while everyone was expecting a great battle between the two, on the final SS of the day (Eleftherochori) the French eight-time World Champion saw the suspension of his Toyota GR Yaris collapse, and with it any hope of victory.
Fighting wisely throughout the day, his young teammate, Kalle Rovanpera, took the lead, even enjoying a safety margin over second-placed Dani Sordo. The Spanish Hyundai driver managed to stay clear of punctures and problems, with his strategy paying off in the end. This was not the case for Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), who lost valuable time due to a mechanical problem – which was repaired at the intermediate service – and also had a punctured tyre on SS11 – Carotes.
A series of problems encountered by most drivers resulted in Ott Tanak climbing to fourth place in the Ford Puma Rally1. The Estonian, after the disastrous Friday (he received a 3:40 minute penalty due to a late arrival at an ACL, because of a problem he was experiencing), can only be satisfied. It was a particularly difficult day for Esapekka Lappi (Hyundai i20 N Rally1), who lost time due to a transmission problem, but also for Takamoto Katsuta in the fourth GR Yaris, who had two punctures in one special!
But the EKO Acropolis Rally showed no mercy even to the Greek crews. The most resounding abandonment was that of the leader Lambros Athanasoulas (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) who had an exit on the second SS of the leg (Karoutes 1), while Alexandros Tsouloftas in his Volkswagen Polo Rally2 had the same fate in the “first” Pavliani. Thus, in first place among the Greek crews is Jordan Serderidis with the Ford Puma Rally1, while second is Chrysostomos Karellis with the Citroen C3 Rally2. The trio is closed by Nontas Karanikolas with the Ford Fiesta Rally3. Finally, in the RC4 category, Savvas Lefkaditis with his Peugeot 208 Rally4 is in first place, while the leader until yesterday, Paschalis Hadjimarkos, with the same car, retired due to a box.
The final day of the EKO Acropolis Rally may be the shortest in terms of race kilometres, but, with what has already happened, nothing can be taken for granted.
