Neuville Takes the Lead
Thierry Neuville of the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team concluded the initial full day of the Acropolis Rally Greece with a 9.7-second advantage over Sébastien Ogier. His team-mate, Adrien Fourmaux, secured third place after an eventful leg that saw him both lead the rally and experience a puncture.
The day, which covered 129.22km, was marked by heavy road cleaning, sharp rocks, and consistent risks across six gravel stages located north of Loutraki. Few crews managed to avoid issues, but Neuville’s measured approach allowed him to maintain his lead overnight.
Neuville moved into the lead on SS4, Stiri, following Fourmaux’s front-right puncture. Despite reporting a lack of balance due to a lost front splitter, the Belgian driver managed the afternoon stages effectively. He noted the challenging conditions, stating, “It’s incredibly rough out there. I was struggling quite a lot in here with the fast sections, we are missing the front splitter so the aerodynamic balance is off.”
Challengers and Setbacks
Sébastien Ogier, driving for Toyota Gazoo Racing, remained a close contender throughout the afternoon. Ogier secured a win on SS4 and consistently trailed Neuville. The nine-time world champion indicated his focus was on avoiding trouble rather than pushing the pace.
Ogier commented on his performance, saying, “It’s been a good day for us, I can be happy with that. At the moment I just focus on myself and stay out of trouble.” He had initially taken an early lead in the event after Thursday’s superspecial stage.
Fourmaux demonstrated early speed, winning the Bauxites stage by 0.1 seconds over Neuville and then delivering a strong performance on Parnassos Mt to take the rally lead. However, a puncture on the subsequent stage dropped him to fourth position. He later recovered, winning the final Thiva stage to climb back to third overall, trailing Neuville by 42.4 seconds.
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team experienced both highs and lows. Jon Armstrong performed well in the morning, reaching as high as third overall and securing his first WRC stage win on Elikon Mt, beating Ogier by 0.6 seconds on SS5. However, his day ended prematurely on the next stage due to a front-right puncture and a loss of power, leading to his retirement from the day’s action after losing over four minutes on Stiri 2.
Armstrong’s team-mate, Josh McErlean, navigated the challenging conditions to hold fourth place overnight, 1 minute 10.1 seconds behind the leader. Mārtiņš Sesks completed a strong day for M-Sport in fifth, 6.8 seconds behind McErlean.
Further Down the Field
Takamoto Katsuta of Toyota held sixth position after a day focused on managing risks on the rocky Greek roads. Championship leader Elfyn Evans faced a difficult Friday, opening the road and finishing the leg in seventh, 2 minutes 08.4 seconds behind Neuville.
Evans noted the severity of the conditions, stating, “We knew it was going to be tough and it was even more tough than expected. The road sweeping is horrendous.” He struggled with traction due to loose gravel and large rocks, which made being first on the road particularly challenging.
Dani Sordo was in eighth place after losing nearly two minutes due to a wheel change on Parnassos Mt. Andreas Mikkelsen secured ninth overall and led the WRC2 category, maintaining an 8.2-second lead over Robert Virves. Alejandro Cachón was third among the Rally2 competitors.
Sami Pajari rounded out the top ten despite a challenging day that included a puncture and a brief loss of power. Oliver Solberg’s Friday ended on the final stage when his GR Yaris Rally1 ran wide and became beached at the 6.5km mark. Saturday’s stages will take crews into the Peloponnese, featuring Ghymno, Kolines, Menalo Mt, and Kefalari.
Source: wrc.com
