Thierry Neuville leads at the WRC Acropolis Rally Greece after day 2. The Belgian started the day third but managed to work his way up to P1.
After a disastrous Friday for the Toyota team, Ott Tänak started the day leading a Hyundai 1-2-3. Tänak’s lead over Thierry Neuville in P3 was 45.2 seconds, while Dani Sordo was 21.8 seconds off the lead in P2.
However, Tänak immediately lost a lot of time in the first stage of the day (SS7). The Estonian suffered two punctures and changed both tyres on the stage. Miraculously, he lost ‘only’ 4 minutes and remained in the top 10, however, any chances of a top result were gone.
Dani Sordo took over the lead from Tänak. However, the Spaniard suffered a puncture in the final stage of the morning loop (SS9). Sordo lost 51 seconds and fell back behind Thierry Neuville, who inherited the rally lead at mid-day.
The Absolute priority for Neuville is scoring consistent championship points. The Belgian isn’t driving flat out, a strategy that sees him leading with 3 stages to go on the final day.
Sordo finishes the day in second place. Importantly for the title fight, he finishes the day ahead of Sebastien Ogier, allowing Neuville to distance himself a few points extra compared to Ogier, providing he finishes the rally tomorrow, of course.
Ott Tänak briefly dropped to P6 after his puncture on SS7 but ended the day on P4. Sami Pajari is fifth overall and the leader in the WRC2 class with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. Robert Virves, Yohan Rossel, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Georg Linnamäe and Fabrizio Zaldivar (all with Rally2 machinery), complete the top 10.
Takamoto Katsuta and Adrien Fourmaux restarted today, but couldn’t challenge for stage wins thanks to their starting positions. Grégoire Munster was on his way to P5 overall but went off the road in SS9: game over.
Elfyn Evans had an outside chance to grab a few more Saturday points after his time loss yesterday. That outside chance disappeared when he rolled his Toyota in a hairpin at low speed in SS11. He completed the stage but wasn’t able to complete the final stage due to the sustained damage.
Three stages remain during the final day in Greece, totalling 54 kilometres against the clock. Many drivers will be keen to grab Sunday points for the championship. SS13, the opening test of the day, starts at 8:59 local time (7:59 CEST, 6:59 BST, 1:59 ET). The final Power Stage starts at 13:15 local time (12:15 CEST, 11:15 BST, 6:15 ET).
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WRC Acropolis Rally Greece 2024 – Standings after Saturday (SS12)
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff. to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HY | 3:01:06.3 |
| 2. | Sordo / Carrera | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HY | +54.9 |
| 3. | Ogier / Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HY | +1:19.9 |
| 4. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HY | +3:20.5 |
| 5. | Pajari / Mälkönen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +5:07.3 |
| 6. | Virves / Lesk | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +5:35.1 |
| 7. | Rossel / Barral | Citroën C3 Rally2 | +6:01.5 |
| 8. | Kajetanowicz / Szczepaniak | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +6:59.3 |
| 9. | Linnamäe / Morgan | Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 | +8:35.2 |
| 10. | Zaldivar / Der Ohannesian | Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 | +9:24.3 |
Photo: Hyundai Motorsport