Onto the second day then and the crews had nine stages in front of them with a total of 150 kilometres to tackle. Takamoto would open the road courtesy of being the last placed top-class crew with his co-driver Aaron at the end of the Friday’s stages. Meanwhile, Elfyn and Scott would the third placed crew on the road and would be looking to regain the positions they lost on the penultimate stage. Overnight rally leaders Sami and Marko would be the last crew through courtesy of leading the rally and would look to open up their lead from their closest challengers from Hyundai.

 

Onto the action then with SS8 Peipsiääre 1 and Sami picked up where he and Marko left off setting the pace from Oliver and Adrien. Elfyn gained two positions, passing Esapekka for seventh overall. It was not a good start for Josh whose Puma suffered from some sort of technical problem and after pulling off the stage the engine would not restart. They lost almost ten minutes before completing the stage at normal pace.

 

Next up came SS9 Mustvee 1 and Sami was again fastest from yes, Oliver and Adrien. As mentioned Elfyn who was third on the road was showing good pace and although not at the front running pace, he was fifth fastest and passed Martins for sixth overall. The Welshman was helped a little with a puncture for the Latvian, but even without this Elfyn would have passed the M-Sport crew.

 

The action continued with SS10 Peipsiääre 2 and Oliver was fastest bringing his teammates run at the top of the stage winners to an end, whilst Adrien was third behind the Toyota crews. Sadly, we lost Josh before the stage as the Puma was retired with a problem with the exhaust manifold.

 

The final stage of the morning loop SS11 Mustvee 2 and it was two in a row from Oliver from Sami and Thierry. Adrien had a slow puncture for the last five kilometres and was only able to set the seventh best time, but at least he’d completed the stage and was still holding third overall. Elfyn was consolidating sixth overall whilst pulling away from Martins.

 

After the lunch time service came SS12 Kambja 1 and Sami restored himself to the top of the stage times winning the stage from Oliver and Adrien. Thierry was eyeing up his teammates podium position, now only 7.9 seconds behind but saw the gap grow a little.

 

The action continued with SS13 Otepää 1 and Sami once again set the pace from Oliver and Thierry. Adrien was still fourth fastest keeping the time loss to a minimum to Thierry. There was a small overshoot for Elfyn in the stage, but not enough to let Martins back too close.

 

Into SS14 Kambja 2 and Sami was just in the zone as he continued to set the pace this time from Thierry and Adrien. Oliver was only fourth in this one but was looking after his tyres and keeping them from overheating. Thierry’s pace took the gap to Adrien down to a little over six seconds.

 

We saw Hyundai take a stage win courtesy of Thierry in SS15 Otepää 2 as he set the pace from Sami and Oliver. The Belgians pace took him even closer to Adrien, the gap now less than two seconds.

 

The short SS16 Tartu Vald would not have any effect on the overall leaderboard and Oliver was fastest from Thierry and Adrien.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“It’s been another really good day. Again, I had a really great feeling with the car and we could start with two stage wins this morning. Then Oliver was having really good pace to bring the gap back down a bit. So, we needed to try and step it up for the afternoon and we managed to do that, adding another 10 seconds to our lead. It wasn’t easy with some different stage conditions and difficult tyre choices, but I’m super happy and now we just need to bring it home tomorrow. We don’t know exactly what the weather will be like – the forecast suggests it could be tricky – but I’m looking forward to it.”

Oliver Solberg

“I had a much better feeling this morning; something similar to what we had here last year in terms of the feeling with the car and the speed. Initially I was still lacking a bit of commitment, but then we made another step for the second pass, the balance felt good, and I could push and set some fastest times. This afternoon we were maybe a bit optimistic going with a full set of soft tyres and it didn’t pay off. I didn’t want to force it and just tried to keep driving my own race. Sami has done an incredible performance so hats off to him. There’s still a long day tomorrow which will be very important for the points, and we’ll try to take as many as we can.”

Sébastien Ogier

“We were able to have a good rhythm and good fun in the car again today. Unfortunately, the road was evolving and getting faster with every car, so it was difficult to fight with the guys ahead of us on the leaderboard. I always prefer to have a fight and to be fifth overall is not what we hoped for, but we’re still on for some important points and tomorrow there are quite a few more to catch. The weather is looking uncertain, and some rain could change things and reduce this cleaning effect, so we just have to keep trying our best until the end.”

Elfyn Evans

“We had a good start to the day. With a slightly better road position than yesterday, we had a good feeling behind the wheel and were able to gain back some positions, which was the main target. We then used the afternoon to experiment with a few different setups, which maybe didn’t go in the direction that we had hoped, but at least we have a solid base to fall back on for tomorrow. Even though there’s only one stage run twice, there’s a lot of points on offer and we’ll have to try to be on our best.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It was difficult today to be the first car on the road; it’s been so dry so far this weekend and the cleaning effect is really big. We were just focused on trying to find some positive things for the future and for the next rally in Finland, trying a lot of different things with the car setup in every single stage. Some things were positive, some things not so much, but at least we could gather that information. There’s still one more day to go and it probably won’t be easy, but I will keep trying my best, also for all the fans here in Estonia who have been showing such great support for me.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“Overall, I have enjoyed today a lot, the cars are really fantastic in these kinds of rallies. It’s been a solid day, it’s just a shame that we lost some time to Thierry throughout the day; it was small amounts, but still a little bit each stage. I feel ready for tomorrow, let’s see what the weather will be like, it is still a long day and maybe there will be some rain. It’s really great to have this fight with Thierry because it is good experience with the same cars. The stage tomorrow is very fast followed by some very narrow sections and then some tarmac, so we are going to have to be good for both passes.”

Thierry Neuville

“It was a very enjoyable afternoon after struggling a bit this morning. We made some changes on the car, which gave me a lot more confidence overall. We were struggling in first-pass conditions but in the second-pass conditions with the ruts, we had good speed, and I was enjoying it. Adrien was pushing hard obviously, so we had to push hard as well, without taking too many risks and also looking after the tyres. It wasn’t that easy and simple, we were running five soft tyres today but, in the end, I am happy with my choice.”

Esapekka Lappi

“We didn’t have any problems today, but we also didn’t really improve, which is a shame. The team has done a lot of work to try to improve the pace but for some reason, even with big changes, the car just didn’t react. But we won’t give up, we still have some changes planned for tomorrow so we will see how it goes. [On SS12] we slid wide on a really fast left-hander which was tightening and went completely off the road, but at least we know that this exit could be used!”

 

Classification after Day Two

1 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 2:08:34.0 2 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +25.0 3 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +52.1 4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +54.0 5 S. Ogier V. Landais Ford Puma Rally1 +1:32.8 6 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +2:02.9 7 M. Sesks R. Francis Ford Puma Rally1 +2:16.3 8 E. Lappi E. Mälkönen Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +2:42.0 9 J. Armstrong S. Byrne Ford Puma Rally1 +3:03.2 10 R. Virves J. Viilo Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 +7:07.2

Sunday

The final day sees the crews tackle only two stages, but they are the longest of the whole event at 24.39 kilometres. Let’s see who sets the pace over these two stages and takes the maximum Sunday points along with the powerstage points as well.

The first full day of action included the shakedown stage before the action started in the early afternoon. Elfyn and Scott would open the road throughout the day.

 

The first stage then, SS1 Raanitsa 1 and Sami set the pace just as he’d done during shakedown earlier from Adrien and Oliver. Elfyn, who was opening the road swept the road clear on his way to seventh fastest and ten seconds down on Sami, but at least he was ahead of Takamoto who held eighth position. Jon in the Puma was setting a really good pace, but unfortunately near the stage end over a jump he landed slightly off-line and damaged a tyre on the front right side, and then suffered bodywork damage to the wing. His teammate Martins was the best of the three M-Sport cars with the fifth best time and was fighting back after a penalty which was given before the action really started. After damaging the car during shakedown, they exited service late by two minutes and was given a twenty second penalty accordingly.

 

The shorter SS2 Karaski 1 followed, and it was a second stage win for Sami from Oliver and Adrien this time, with Martins showing great pace as well, matching the Frenchman’s pace. Oliver’s pace took him into second overall, pushing Adrien down to third. Meanwhile there were a few other position changes as Thierry passed Seb as he moved into fourth place and both Takamoto and Josh passed Elfyn as they moved into sixth and seventh as the championship leader fell to eighth and Esapekka was now ninth.

 

The final stage of the loop, SS3 Kanepi 1 before the tyre fitting zone saw Sami make it three out of three from Adrien and Oliver. The Finn was building a lead over his teammate as the gap increased to a little over four seconds. There were some more changes further back as Josh passed Takamoto for sixth place and Esapekka moved into eighth at the expense of Elfyn.

 

After the short break came the first of the second loop of the day, SS4 Raanitsa 2 and Sami picked up when he left off setting the pace from Adrien and Oliver. It was clear these three had the best of the road conditions as they continued to set the pace at the front. Takamoto repassed Josh for sixth overall in this one.

 

Next up was SS5 Karaski 2 and there really was no stopping the Finn as he set the pace again from Oliver and Adrien. There was a position change for Elfyn as he re-passed Esapekka for eighth and was now just 2.3 seconds behind Josh. Incredibly Seb, Takamoto and Josh all set an identical stage time in this stage.

 

Onto the final proper stage then, SS6 Kanepi 2 and this stage would decide the running order on Saturday’s stages. Sami was again fastest from Oliver and Thierry and again three drivers set the same pace again with the Belgian, Adrien and Martins all setting the same time, as there were some position changes further back. Firstly, Takamoto suffered a puncture as the tyre just exploded on a straight piece of road. The pace of the Latvian gained him four positions and he jumped to sixth place, whilst Esapekka also gained two positions moving into seventh place at the expense of Josh and Elfyn who emerged in eighth and ninth overall. Takamoto’s puncture saw him lose five positions and he fell to eleventh place.

The special super stage followed, SS7 Elva Linn, but this would not affect the road positions for Saturday and again Sami was fastest from Martins this time and Thierry.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the standings as well.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sami Pajari

“I can be very happy at the end of the day. To take a clean sweep of stage wins and be in the lead is really good, and more importantly the feeling behind the wheel has been really great. The driving has just been flowing quite naturally. Of course, we are pushing but I don’t feel like I’m taking big risk and it feels under control. The morning was super tight with our rivals but in the afternoon we managed to make a bit more of a gap. Still, it’s only Friday. There’s two long days still to go, so no chance to relax yet, but I’m looking forward to tomorrow and will just try to keep enjoying it.”

Oliver Solberg

“Second place is a pretty good position, but I can’t be completely satisfied with the day. This morning it was all pretty close, but the afternoon was a bit more difficult in terms of the times compared to Sami, who has done a great job today. I was struggling a bit with the feeling and to find that sweet spot to be able to push. But we’re not far away and we will keep trying to improve some small things. Tomorrow will be a long day and it will be important to manage the tyres when we’re driving the first and second pass on the same set.”

Sébastien Ogier

“I think it’s been a decent day for us. People know that I will never say I’m happy being in fifth place, but I knew coming here it would be challenging and I think we did a decent job from third on the road after five years not competing here. Sami has been flying today, so well done to him: winning all of the stages is something special. On our side there’s still some work to do to try and improve a bit, work on the car and myself to hopefully be closer to that pace tomorrow and catch some more positions.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a tough start to the rally for us opening the road today with some very loose conditions. We tried to do all that we can, and it didn’t feel so bad behind the wheel. We just weren’t able to put competitive times on the board, and it could be a bit disheartening to see the guys coming faster behind. Thankfully this afternoon with the ruts forming the time loss wasn’t so bad, and tomorrow should at least be a bit better with a couple of cars in front of us.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Today didn’t go as expected. It was quite a difficult start already in the morning. We went a bit too much on the soft side with the car setup and it wasn’t working so well in the super high-speed sections. We managed it as well as we could and without losing too much time. Unfortunately, we got damage to two tyres during the second loop and couldn’t continue. It’s very disappointing, but I will just keep trying to do my best over the rest of the rally.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I am very pleased to be third overnight, it has been a good fight today with Oliver [Solberg], and even with Sami [Pajari] at the beginning before he pulled away. I am happy with my driving and the car; it has been a very positive day. Maybe we should have taken some hard tyres this afternoon, which might have helped me a bit more, but there are no regrets. The feeling inside the car has been brilliant, we’re not off the pace, and it’s a dream to be competitive on stages like these.”

Thierry Neuville

“It was a bit of a tough day today, but we are going to make some changes before tomorrow’s stage, we will change the transmission and see if everything is working as it should. Then we will see. Those little things, when they don’t work perfectly, can cost you a lot of time especially when you have to reduce your speed and when you don’t have complete trust in the car. We are on the limit, taking a little bit of risk over the jumps – those of us who weren’t flat last year, are basically flat this year – and it’s a tough battle out the.”

Esapekka Lappi

“The driving has not been so challenging for us today, but it has been a bit of a mystery when you look at the times. In testing, we felt really good but today we were very far away. The penultimate stage was a step in the right direction, so it was OK. We changed something with the suspension and the transmission, and it worked because my times were almost matching my team-mates. We will try to do something similar for tomorrow; it might not work for the first pass of the stages, but it might for the second pass.”

 

Classification after Day One

1 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 49:43.5 2 O. Solberg E. Edmondson Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +14.7 3 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +16.5 4 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +24.0 5 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +33.3 6 M. Sesks R. Francis Ford Puma Rally1 +44.7 7 E. Lappi E. Mälkönen Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +46.5 8 J. McErlean E. Treacy Ford Puma Rally1 +46.6 9 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +49.8 10 J. Armstrong S. Byrne Ford Puma Rally1 +1:04.3

Saturday

What does the second day hold then for the crews? Well for starters, there are nine stages and a huge 150 kilometres. Four are run in the morning before service, then a single stage before the final four run with a break in the middle on them. What will the top ten look like at the end of the day and can Elfyn improve his position and move up into the top five?

The championship returns to the fast roads of Ott and Martins homeland. Now the crews will have eighteen stages over almost 302 kilometres. Last year, Oliver and Elliott stepped from their Yaris Rally2 into the top spec Yaris and promptly took stage win after stage win, ultimately taking their first overall championship win.

 

They would love to do this again this weekend, but they will have some serious competition from their teammates and also those at Hyundai and M-Sport Ford.

 

Let’s hear from the crews and take a proper look at the stages.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“Greece was a challenging event for us, but we can look forward to something completely different on much faster roads in Estonia and Finland. It’s important to find a good feeling and prepare the car as well as possible for these events, and it was helpful to drive a national rally in Estonia last week to get used to the highest speeds once again. If it’s very dry in Estonia then there can still be some cleaning for us to do, but we just need to focus on doing our best whatever conditions we face.”

Sébastien Ogier

“To win in Greece was very important for us. Moving from there to Estonia will be a big contrast, and especially for me as I haven’t driven this rally for five years. I’m looking forward to being back, though. It’s one of the most spectacular rallies of the season, and a well-organised event with a great atmosphere. I enjoyed my test last week, getting back the feeling for high speed, and hopefully we can be competitive. I’m sure that it will not be easy, but I always enjoy a challenge like this and will give it my best shot.”

Oliver Solberg

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Rally Estonia. It’s a very special place to me after we took our first win there last year. It’s a really cool rally that I’ve always enjoyed: with the high speeds, massive jumps and excited rally fans, it’s a lot of fun. We haven’t had the easiest run of rallies recently, but now I’m going back to a rally where I have experience with this car, and I just want to try my best and see what we can do.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“After a good rally for us in Greece, I’ve got a good feeling to move onto very high-speed stages in Estonia and Finland, which are some of my favourite rallies. You have to be very committed in Estonia, especially on the second pass when the road gets rutted, but the margins are also very small at those speeds. All of my team-mates can also be very strong in these rallies, but I will try my best to achieve good results and take as many points as possible.”

Sami Pajari

“I’m really looking forward to these next two rallies in Estonia and Finland: they are my favourite ones on the calendar. I’m pretty happy with how we finished the last rally in Greece after a difficult start, we’re still in a good position in the championship, and at the same time our starting position should not be too bad for the next rallies and should allow us to be in the fight, so let’s see what we can do.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“We’re heading into Estonia with confidence after two gravel rallies where we have consistently shown strong pace and fought for victory. Taking a win and a second place is encouraging, and our pre-event test also felt very positive. We’ve been competitive in Estonia in recent years, and if the conditions stay dry, they should suit us well. The key to this rally is finding the right balance between traction, precision and protection over the huge jumps, while having complete trust in the car. Our goal is clear: to fight for victory and score a lot of points to fight back in the championship.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Estonia is a completely different challenge to Acropolis, instead of rough, slow and technical roads, you’re straight into some of the fastest stages on the calendar, so confidence is everything. I really enjoy this type of rally and we’ve completed a good test to prepare for it. We didn’t get the result we wanted in Greece, but that’s behind us now we are focused on the challenges ahead. Estonia gives us a fresh opportunity and if we can put together a clean and consistent weekend, I’m confident we have the potential to be competitive.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I am very much looking forward to being back in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 again, especially as it will be the last outing of this car at these super-fast events, which is cool to be part of. We used the pre-event test to find the correct balance with differentials, suspension, and downforce. If we nail our pace notes, the rest should be easy. It is hard to know exactly where we are on fast gravel, although the recent results have shown the car has performed well on this surface. My hope is to be fighting higher than the top five.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“Estonia is always one of the fastest and most enjoyable rallies of the season, so I’m really looking forward to getting back out there. Greece gave us a solid platform to build from, and the aim now is to carry that momentum into Estonia. I really enjoy these types of events, so hopefully we can keep improving and come away with another strong result.”

Jon Armstrong

“I’m looking forward to going back to Estonia, I’ve been there twice in JWRC and also once in ERC with the Fiesta Rally2. The stages are completely flat out and the style of the surface is generally nicer for me as it’s a bit more sandy. It’s a good way to kick off the summer of speed in a Rally1 car!”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“This is the time of the year when we are as close as possible to our home country, and happy to call Rally Estonia our home rally this year. We’re hoping to see a lot of Latvian fans to feel as at home as possible! I’m looking forward to a great result here; I think we have a lot of positives to take from last year and we’re looking at having a competitive weekend in Estonia.”

Romet Jürgenson

“Obviously, our home event in Estonia is one of the highlights of the season for us. There is a bit more pressure as well, but we have a lot of local support from our fans which definitely gives us this extra push to get the maximum out of ourselves and the car.

 

“Looking at last year’s pace, I think the goal will be to be up there fighting with the top guys. The route itself has stayed the same over the last few years, so the advantage for the Estonians is decreasing as a lot of drivers have knowledge of these stages; it’ll be a very even fight with small margins. I’m looking forward to it.”

In terms of the stages this is how the days look over the event.

Friday has seven stages over just under 104 kilometres, then Saturday has nine stages over almost 150 kilometres and then Sunday has just two stages and a total of just under 50 kilometres.

Summary

Road position is going to be hugely relevant this weekend and in particular Friday’s stages. Elfyn and Scott, plus Takamoto and Aaron will have the most tricky road position as the first two crews into the stage, they will be sweeping the road clear of the loose gravel and making the road cleaner and ultimately faster for those further back.

Oliver and Elliott were eighth on the road during the first day last year which gave them a good advantage to set the pace and build a lead. This year they will be third on the road which will make things harder, whilst Seb and Vincent, Adrien and Alex, Thierry and Martijn and finally Esapekka and Enni fill the lower positions in the top ten and will give them the best road conditions.

The action begins with shakedown on Friday morning and then the first stage starts at just after one o’clock local time.

Onto the final day then of this very tricky rally and the crews had four stages and 84 kilometres ahead of them to tackle the challenge was not over by any degree. Jourdain would open the road throughout the day, whilst Jon would follow him into the stage and would still be cleaning the road for the rest of the crews coming behind.

 

First up then was SS14 Aghii Theodori 1, a 25-kilometre stage to start the day. Adrien would set the pace from Seb and Thierry. There was a lead change as Seb passed Thierry, the gap between them just 1.3 seconds! After Elfyn’s problems at the end of Saturday, it was crazy to see him and Scott get another puncture on the first stage of the day, particularly given that they were looking to move up the standings. At least they didn’t have to stop to change the wheel during the stage.

 

Onto SS15 Loutraki 1 the 16-kilometre stage and what would be the rally ending powerstage. Seb was again fastest from Thierry and this time Takamoto. Adrien who had been running and holding third overall suffered a puncture and lost two positions and was now behind Sami and Elfyn and in seventh overall.

 

After a quick service break came SS16 Aghii Theodori 2 and Seb was fastest from Sami and Adrien. There was drama though for Thierry who suffered right-rear and left-rear punctures and lost 53 seconds to Seb, and this meant that it looked likely now Seb and Vincent would take victory. Sami was also moving up as he passed Josh for fourth position after the Puma crew got beached for thirty seconds or so on the edge of the road before getting going again.

 

We came then to the final stage, SS17 Loutraki 2 and it was a stage win for Seb from Sami and Thierry, Takamoto fourth fastest, whilst Elfyn took the final power stage point. This gave Seb and Vincent victory, with Thierry and Martijn second. Takamoto and Aaron finished third as well giving them good points for the championship.

 

Later the same day there were some penalties of a whole minute given to Josh and Adrien for seatbelt infringements. Adrien’s was from stage twelve on Saturday, whilst Josh’s came on Sunday’s penultimate stage. All of this meant that Sami moved into fourth and Elfyn up to sixth.

Here’s the final standings and we’ll hear from the drivers as well.

 

Final Overall Classification – Acropolis Rally

1	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	3:36:40.7
2	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+58.3
3	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+3:04.8
4	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+5:02.2
5	J. McErlean	E. Treacy	Ford Puma Rally1	+5:55.5
6	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+5:54.9
7	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+6:08.7
8	M. Sesks	R. Francis	Ford Puma Rally1	+8:05.8
9	R. Virves	J. Viilo	Skoda Fabia RS	+9:50.1
10	A. Mikkelsen	J. Listerud	Skoda Fabia RS	+10:52.5

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“It feels good to win the Acropolis Rally again after many years. It seems like the Greek gods were with me once more! Like often here, it’s been a very tough rally, particularly for the tyres, so I’m glad that we were able to stay out of trouble this time. It was very close with Thierry and there was no chance to relax, even in the Power Stage because it was very rough. I tried to drive as gently as I could, so I was surprised by the time, but I’m very happy to take the maximum points, which is exactly what we needed.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s very good to finish on the podium after such a tough rally. It was difficult for us in the beginning running second on the road, but we were expecting this, and we had a clear plan to try and avoid problems and mistakes and just manage the situation. It worked out very well, so thank you to Aaron and to the team; we had no issues with the car at all. It’s been a good weekend and I’m looking forward to the high-speed rallies coming up.”

Sami Pajari

“It was a proper Super Sunday for us today and I think we need to be really happy about that. The beginning of the rally was very difficult for us, and it was tricky to recover from that, but I think that we got the most out of it that we could. We managed to make up quite a lot of positions and also take eight extra points from Sunday, so it’s really not been too bad an event in the end and we’re still in a good position in the championship with some nice rallies to come for us.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been a tough weekend, in line with what we were expecting beforehand. After a difficult start on Friday, things were actually moving in the right direction and not looking too bad by Saturday afternoon, but then we got the puncture in the last stage. We tried to give it a good go today, but I touched a bank in the first stage which pushed the tyre off the rim. I’m disappointed with how it’s turned out but that’s the way it goes sometimes, and we just have to move on to the next one.”

Oliver Solberg

“I think we did the best that we could today. We at least managed to keep Elfyn behind us in the Super Sunday standings to take one point, but I don’t think it was possible to do more from our starting position. It’s been another blow this weekend and I’m very disappointed; it’s been tough lately with these little mistakes. I just need to keep believing and try to reset and find a better way forward, going into some rallies that I know well and am looking forward to.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“All in all, I have mixed feelings at the end of this rally. I’m obviously very disappointed not to be able to fight for the victory until the very end, but on the other hand I am very happy about our pace and the improvements we demonstrated this weekend. There are a lot of positives to take from Acropolis Rally, and we’ve also scored a solid haul of points. This gives us a good opportunity to get back into the championship fight, which was looking quite difficult for us. The fact that the championship leaders did not score many points is also good for us. With more gravel rallies to come, I hope we can carry this momentum forward.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“I think we deserved much more from Acropolis Rally. While I know it is a lottery, it felt like whenever I pushed I avoided punctures, but whenever I tried to be careful, I would get one. It’s almost unbelievable. In the end, it’s a huge shame, but overall, it has been a positive rally. We had the pace and were fighting for the win at the beginning before our issues. It’s frustrating for the championship, as I had high hopes of closing the gap in the points, and it hasn’t gone to plan. However, there is plenty for us to take into Estonia and beyond.”

Dani Sordo

“It has been a difficult rally for us. It started well, but the puncture on Friday took us out of the fight. We lost even more time with our second puncture on Saturday, and after that we were not confident with the tyres or the grip. In the end, we decided to retire the car before the Power Stage to give the team as much flexibility as possible for the two fast gravel events.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“It’s been really important, I think, to get a result like this – for me and Eoin, and for the team. It’s been a while since everyone’s had a result, and it was obviously a very challenging weekend with the rocks, the puncture risk and everything that comes with that. We made it a little difficult for ourselves going into the last stage, sliding into the ditch on the previous one, then having to push to protect the position for the final stage. But we’re very happy; it’s the best result we’ve had so far.” (These comments were made before they were given the minute penalty taking them down to sixth).

Jon Armstrong

“So that’s the Acropolis Rally finished. The first day went quite well to begin with – we made the most of our road position and got up to third overall with our first stage win. But then we had a technical issue and a couple of punctures, so we had to retire for the day. We spent the rest of the weekend road-sweeping, which was good learning, if a bit difficult after being on such a high the day before.

“There are still plenty of positives to take away, though – the pace we showed from that road position was really encouraging. We’re looking forward to the fast gravel rallies now and seeing what we can do there. It was a tricky one, a case of what might have been, but that’s how the Acropolis can be.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“Overall, I think the rally was okay, in the sense that we didn’t make any big mistakes – maybe we were lacking a little pace on Saturday morning, but otherwise we did a decent job from our side. It was a shame about the issue in service, which cost us time, but the team made a great effort to keep us on track. Now I’m looking forward to the next rallies.”

Jourdan Serderidis

“We had a fun rally, with a wonderful itinerary and some super nice stages. Unfortunately, the mechanical issues we had prevented us from getting the result we’d hoped for. But we still had a very good run, a very good drive, and made good progress with our driving, so on that side we’re quite happy. It’s amazing to drive in front of all the Greek supporters. All in all, still a nice weekend.”

Romet Jürgenson

“Obviously the mistake happened quite early on – that’s squarely on me and it’s unfortunate. But after that, on Saturday, we showed some decent pace and could improve on a few things. On the positive side, the pace was good on the first pass of the new stages, which is driven purely by pace notes, and I think that shows that side is decent. And today, second on the Power Stage as well – so there are these little positives to take. But overall, I’m sorry for the team that I made the mistake. Next time we’re in Estonia, so we’ll go flat out there.”

 

Summary – The Podium

It was a great win for the French crew in their Yaris and it’s brought them into the title fight. It’s fair to say they benefitted from a good road position on Friday and once they got ahead of Thierry and Martijn and then the Belgian’s suffered their double puncture the win was in their hands of Seb and Vincent.

 

For Thierry and Martijn it was a case of what might have been as they battled their old foe again for victory which was then ended early with the double puncture. It was good though to see Hyundai on the pace with their two permanent crews and perhaps in the coming rallies they will make their way to the top step again.

 

Finally, for Takamoto and Aaron, considering they were second on the road through Friday it was a very good drive to third overall, keeping themselves out of trouble. This delivered them a well-deserved podium and great points for their championship challenge.

Onto the second day then of action and the crews faced six stages over 108 kilometres, with four run in the morning, including two stages which would only be run once, then the service break before the final two stages in the afternoon. The Puma duo of Jourdain and Jon would open the road throughout the day as the first and second crews respectively into the stages.

 

First up then was SS8 Ghymno 1 a 19.6-kilometre stage and it was a good start from Seb who set the pace from Thierry and Adrien. Behind the top three, Elfyn was the best of the rest and looking ahead to the crews in front of him, Martins, Takamoto and Josh and in fact the Japanese driver had already moved ahead of the Latvian crew and into fifth place.

 

Into the single run of SS9 Kolines and Adrien was fastest from Seb and Thierry as the trio made the most of their advantages road positions as the last crews to finish the stage. Seb closed the gap to Thierry for the overall lead as well, bringing the gap down to less than five seconds. There was a change in positions as Takamoto passed Josh for fourth in the overall standings after the Irishman was twenty-five seconds slower. Elfyn was edging closer to Martins as well, the gap just under fourteen seconds now.

 

It was back to the top of the time sheets for Thierry in SS10 Menalo Mt 1 a 15-kilometre stage as he set the pace from Seb and Adrien. Meanwhile, Elfyn was on the move after setting the fifth fastest time and he passed Martins for fifth place overall. The Welshman was going well as he’d not just passed Martins, he was also faster than Josh and closed the gap to him in a battle for fifth place overall.

 

The final morning stage then with the single run through SS11 Kefalari before the service break and Seb was fastest from Thierry and Elfyn this time as he beat Adrien by just one tenth of a second. It was a good time from the Frenchman to set the pace as he’d damaged the rear wing on his car somewhere in the stage, just as well there was a service break really!

 

Just two stages remained then as the crews went first to SS12 Ghymno 2 and the first thing to report on was the stage was shortened by 4.5 kilometres to 15.1. This was due to the road near the original start position having deteriorated badly. Thierry was fastest by over seven seconds from Seb with Takamoto third in this one. Elfyn gained one position as Adrien suffered a puncture with the Welshman moving into fifth now and even closer to Josh who now held fourth by just four seconds. There would be drama though which was just plain ridiculous as later crews came through in the WRC2 category. Some spectators were being quite stupid with their behaviour, standing in the wrong places and the stage was red flagged. Frankly, they know who they are and should hang their heads in shame.

 

Now to the final stage of the day, SS13 Menalo Mt 2 and Seb was fastest from Adrien and Thierry. Sadly, there were two crews who suffered punctures in this one, the first being Dani, whose front right tyre failed after hitting a rock in the line at five kilometres into the stage. They decided to carry on and lost a minute. The other crew to have the same problem was Elfyn and it appears to have been in the same part of the stage as well. He and Scott stopped to change the wheel, and in the process lost almost two minutes and they fell to seventh overall. All their good work through the day was undone, but this is the nature of rally. From all of this Adrien was now back into fourth, with Josh now fifth and Sami gained two positions after the punctures for Elfyn and Dani.

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

 

Classification after Day Two

1	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	2:40:18.7
2	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+4.1
3	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+2:17.0
4	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+3:00.6
5	J. McErlean	E. Treacy	Ford Puma Rally1	+3:01.6
6	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+4:38.3
7	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+4:43.1
8	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+5:17.8
9	A. Mikkelsen	J. Listerud	Skoda Fabia RS	+5:54.6
10	R. Virves	J. Viilo	Skoda Fabia RS	+6:08.5

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“I’m really happy with my day. Much like yesterday, I was feeling really comfortable in the car and managing both my speed and the roughness of the terrain. We’re getting closer to the end of the rally; our plan is to continue pushing to stay in first place. We know it isn’t over until you cross the final finish line, and tomorrow is going to be pretty rough – especially in the Power Stage. We have to cross our fingers and continue the job we’ve been doing so far this rally.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“Saturday was quite a challenging day. We were trying to manage the risk of punctures as much as we could, but unfortunately on the second pass of Menalo Mt we suffered one early on. We decided to stop and change, knowing we would lose the podium place. However, although we were sixth, we knew we were only 14 seconds away from fourth, so we pushed hard in the last stage. We managed to gain two positions, one on pace and the other as a result of Elfyn’s puncture. It’s a good road position for tomorrow, when everything is still possible. We are going to try and catch Taka, so my target is to go flat out and finish on the podium.”

Dani Sordo

“It is a shame our day ended in the way it did. We had a good stage time on SS12, finishing fourth fastest for the third time here in Greece. On SS13, we encountered rocks in the middle of the road, and we picked up our second puncture of the weekend. Now we focus on Sunday; while there are only four stages, it’s still going to be a long day, and we’re expecting the Power Stage to have a lot of stones. We’ll need to find the balance between pushing for points, and avoiding punctures that could punish us.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“I think it’s been a good day for us. In places these roads were nice to drive, and in others it was just about trying to survive the roughness. In this last stage I was planning to push, and then seeing how many others were having trouble in there made me more unsure, but we managed to have a decent rhythm and keep the fight open until tomorrow. I’m happy with what we’ve done so far but the most important day is coming, where we need to secure the best result and extra points are also available. I will keep the same approach and we’ll see what happens.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This morning the first target was to catch the two cars in front of us and we did that in two stages. After that it was just about managing the high risk of punctures, and I think we did quite a good job to get through the day without any problems. It’s nice to be in third overall tonight but tomorrow’s stages are maybe even rougher than today, so anything can still happen, and the main focus will be to finish without problems.”

Sami Pajari

“I think there was not so much more that we could have done today. On some stages we had quite solid pace, on others maybe not, but I think this was mainly down to the conditions because our road position was not great after yesterday’s troubles. We were able to gain a few places after issues for other drivers, and that also makes our road position better, so I think that gives us a chance to try and take a few more points tomorrow.”

Elfyn Evans

“The day was going pretty well; we were enjoying the cleaner roads; we had a good rhythm, and we were climbing up the leaderboard. Unfortunately, in the last stage we picked up a puncture. It came quite suddenly after an impact, and we had to stop and change it. It’s dropped us right back to where we started the day so we’ve got it all to do again tomorrow, and of course the road position will not be any easier either, but we’ll fight for what we can.”

 

Summary

Onto the final day then and although there are what appears to be not many stages, with four making up the total, with over 84 kilometres to go including two runs of Aghii Theodori at over 25 kilometres, the challenge remains big!

The first full day of action followed Thursday’s action which had shakedown in the morning and a super special stage in the evening which was won by Seb from Takamoto and Thierry. Elfyn was sixth in the stage. Onto the six stages then for the crews on Friday and of course Elfyn and Scott would open the road throughout the day.

 

First up then was SS2 Bauxites and at 22.97 kilometres it was a real challenge for them all. Adrien set the pace from his teammate Thierry, whilst Seb was third. The pace of the Belgians took them into the lead from their teammates Adrien and Alex pushing Seb and Vincent down to third overall. With such tricky road conditions whilst opening the road, Elfyn and Scott were tenth fastest and fell four positions to tenth overall. It was not a good start for Oliver who suffered a puncture losing almost a minute and a half and twenty-five positions as well.

 

Into SS3 Parnassos Mt another 22.28 kilometres stage and Adrien made it two in a row beating Thierry and Jon! It was a good stage for the M-Sport crews as Josh and Martins we also fourth and fifth fastest. There were some good changes in the overall leaderboard as Adrien now led from Thierry and Seb, Sami moved into fourth, Jon’s pace brought him up three positions into fifth overall.

 

Before the remote service came SS4 Stiri 1, yet another long stage at 24.18 kilometres and Seb set the pace this time from Thierry and Jon again. Adrien was only eleventh quickest after getting a puncture on the front right-hand side corner. The Frenchman fell to fourth position from the lead. All of this meant that Jon was now holding third position.

 

After the remote service it was to SS5 Elikon Mt that the crews headed to next and this stage will go down in history as the place where Jon and Shane took their first ever overall stage victory, beating Seb and Thierry. A simply brilliant drive! There was a stop for Finnish crew Sami and Marko who had a puncture to change and fell eight positions to fifteenth place.

It was back to SS6 Stiri 2 next and Thierry was fastest from Seb and Takamoto. Adrien was fourth and passed Jon for third overall as the Irishman suffered first a puncture and then a loss of power as well. After the highs of the previous stage, they fell down the leaderboard.

 

Onto the final stage of the day then with SS7 Thiva, yet another single run stage. Adrien set the pace from Seb and Thierry, and they filled the top three positions overall. We lost Oliver and Elliott as they spun off and their car was beached at the edge of the road. Championship leaders Elfyn and Scott ended the day in seventh overall after opening the road.

 

Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers.

 

Classification after Day One

1 T. Neuville M. Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1 1:26:48.2 2 S. Ogier V. Landais Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +9.7 3 A. Fourmaux A. Coria Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +42.4 4 J. McErlean E. Treacy Ford Puma Rally1 +1:10.1 5 M. Sesks R. Francis Ford Puma Rally1 +1:16.9 6 T. Katsuta A. Johnston Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +1:33.2 7 E. Evans S. Martin Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +2:08.4 8 D. Sordo C. Carrera Hyundai i20 N Rally1 +2:49.5 9 A. Mikkelsen J. Listerud Skoda Fabia RS +3:10.6 10 S. Pajari M. Salminen Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 +3:13.1

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Today was a great day. The car was working very well, and I felt very confident on the stages. I tried to manage the rhythm and adapt to the conditions, pushing when it was clean and being smooth where it was rough. We did what we needed to today – obviously, you always need a bit of luck to get through without any trouble, and the rally is still long. We’re happy to be in the lead tonight, but we know that the rally is not over, and we need to try to repeat this performance tomorrow.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“It’s been a very competitive day for us, with three of the six fastest times. We’re in a great place with the car, which was performing really well back on gravel, and it’s nice to see the results of the team’s hard work. It’s a shame we lost 30 seconds with a delamination that led to a puncture, but I want to focus on the positives. It’s a long game, and we’re still in the fight for the win.”

Dani Sordo

“It was not my best day today; it was disappointing to pick up a puncture on the second stage and lose some time. After that, I struggled for confidence, but we managed to regain a few positions and avoid being first on the road tomorrow. If this had happened on Saturday, it would have been much more difficult for us to recover a good result, and we’re in a position to have a much better day tomorrow.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Sébastien Ogier

“It was clear that today would be difficult as a team with the amount of loose gravel on the road. At least I had the best start position within the team, and I tried to use that as much as I could. In some sections we still saw the guys starting behind us could be quite a bit quicker, but overall, I think we can be happy. We had a good rhythm and stayed out of trouble on stages that were very abrasive for the tyres. So far it’s going to plan, but we need to keep it going the same way.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“It’s been quite a clean day overall for us. We tried our best to manage the tyres, and unfortunately we did pick up some damage a couple of times, but we know that this can happen in this kind of very extreme conditions. To be P6 overall tonight is quite good considering that we were second on the road. Of course, it could be better, but it could also be worse. Realistically I think we can still aim to catch the two cars in front of us tomorrow and otherwise try to stay away from problems, because anything can still happen in a rough rally like this.”

Elfyn Evans

“We knew that today was going to be tough in our position opening the road, but it turned out to be even tougher than we had expected. The cleaning effect on some of the stages today was really extreme. It’s very dry this year and we’ve started the rally with some rockier and more abrasive stages compared to last year, and the impact of that for us has been clear. We just have to keep trying tomorrow, which I’m sure will be another tough day to challenge everyone.”

Sami Pajari

“We had some nice stages during the morning loop, and I think that our pace was quite decent considering our road position. I felt that we were doing quite an OK job while trying to avoid any issues, but unfortunately the issues still came our way and in total we lost around two minutes. It means we are realistically out of the fight for the win, but there’s still two long days to go. Anything can happen and we just need to keep going.”

Oliver Solberg

“Today has been tougher than expected. To have the puncture in the first stage this morning was unfortunate, and after that we were just trying to stay out of trouble really. Then in the last stage of the day I got too wide in a right-hander and just got beached on the edge of the road, and when I tried to reverse I damaged the gearbox and ended up being stuck. It’s very frustrating, especially as we had not been pushing after what happened earlier. It’s been a tough run lately and we need to understand it and improve and keep our heads up.”

 

Saturday

The stages on the second day of the rally will see the crews five stages, two of which are only run once. It will be a challenging day indeed!

After a good break since Rally Japan at the end of May, the teams come together for the first of many gravel rounds from now to the end of the year. Elfyn and Scott come to this event as the championship leaders with a twenty-point lead over Takamoto and Aaron, whilst the most likely championship challengers, Oliver and Elliott, plus Seb and Vincent are a further fifty-five and sixty-one points further back respectively.

 

In terms of the best placed Hyundai crews is the French duo of Adrien and Alex who have eighty-nine points and lie in sixth position. They might have the best road position as well throughout Friday’s stages and the Hyundai teams car has shown pace on gravel.

 

In terms of the stages, this years rally has 323 kilometres over seventeen stages. The longest day in regard of the number of competitive kilometres is Friday with 130 kilometres over six stages. Then Saturday has six stages over 109 kilometres with two of the stages only run once. Finally, Sunday has four stages over 84 kilometres, which includes the longest stage of the whole weekend.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans

“To win Rally Japan again was amazing and it rounded off what’s been quite a good first half of the year for us, but we know that the second half can be tough with every rally being on gravel, so everything is still very open in the championship. Greece can be one of the more difficult rallies to open the road, particularly with most of the Friday stages being run only once. But we’ve got some good experience now of being in this position, and we’ve been working hard together with the team to try and improve the feeling and the pace for those conditions. We already made a step forward in Portugal, and we’ll be trying to make the best of the situation again in Greece.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“The Acropolis Rally is a really rough and tough rally for the cars, the tyres and us as crews. Last year, when the rally moved back to the summer, was especially demanding for everyone with the heat. This year the conditions could be similar, so being as fit and prepared as possible is one of the main priorities in the lead up to this rally. It has not been the easiest event for me in the past but working together with the team I have started to find better feeling and pace on these rougher rallies, and I will try my best like always to get a good result.”

Oliver Solberg

“We’ve had some tough results on asphalt recently, but I’m looking forward to putting that behind me and focusing on gravel for the rest of the season, with an exciting mix of rallies coming up. We had a good result in Portugal, finishing second, and hopefully we can build on that in Greece. The Acropolis is a very demanding rally; it’s usually very hot and very rough. It’s another rally we won last year in the Rally2 car, but I’ve never driven it with a Rally1 car before. So, there will be some adapting to do once again, but I will be giving it my best shot like always.”

Sami Pajari

“We have been on a really strong run recently and hopefully we can continue this now that we are going back onto gravel, which is perhaps a more natural surface for me than asphalt anyway. Our performance on gravel in Portugal was really good – one of our best so far – even though we didn’t get a reward for it. The Acropolis is a tough rally, but I’ve done quite well there before – I finished P4 with the Rally2 car two years ago and started with good pace last year until we had to stop with a problem. If we can have a clean run this time, I think we can do well.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Adrien Fourmaux

“I’m really looking forward to Acropolis Rally and the return to gravel. At this event, we’re really trying to avoid any punctures, but also reading the grip and the compressions, with bumps and crests threatening to kick the car off in a different direction. Starting later in the running order will help you with cleaner lines when it’s dry, which is a clear advantage compared to the cars in front cleaning the road and improving the conditions, however there is also more tyre wear and the risk of loose rocks. Our target for the second half of the season is to get some victories to be back on track for the championship fight. Last year we finished third here, which was good, but we can do better. It’s been quite a tough first half of the season due to the amount of tarmac events, where we struggled a bit more, but we are in a good position to be very competitive for the rest of the season.”

Thierry Neuville

“We have a good starting order heading into a run of gravel events, where we know we can be competitive – we proved that last year and in the past. That gives me a real boost of motivation, knowing we’re heading into a rally where we should perform well. There are other factors at play too, like tyre choice and so on, but generally this should be a much more competitive weekend for us. We know what to expect from this event, though these are new roads. Temperature and weather can be tricky here, so while you can build on what you know, you still need to stay sharp. We’re driving in a slightly different area and region, so you can hit stages with sharper stones, looser or more abrasive surfaces, and everything can change quickly. Our goal is clear — we’re going for victory. With our starting order, a competitive car, and a rally where we have always performed well, that is absolutely our target.

Dani Sordo

“Greece is a rally that I love. The stages are brutal with the heat, the rocks and uneven surfaces, but this sort of challenge suits our car and approach as a team. You have to be patient and manage your tyres, because one mistake can cost you everything. We’ve had some great results at Acropolis in the past, particularly in 2022 and 2024, so I come here with a lot of confidence. Now I want to go one better. The target is always the same: bring the car home, help the team in the manufacturers’ fight, and if we can fight for the win, we will. Portugal did not end the way we hoped, so we are looking to put that right next weekend.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Josh McErlean

“Acropolis is always a tough event. We have a decent road position, so there could be opportunities if we stay out of trouble. It’s nice to turn to gravel again for the remainder of the WRC season!

“It will be a quick turnaround from Donegal, and with plenty of new stages the focus is on a good recce and being well prepared. Hopefully we can put everything together and have a solid weekend for the team.”

Jon Armstrong

“We’re really looking forward to Greece. It’s going to be a significant challenge with the temperatures we’re expecting, and there are a lot of single-pass stages, so having a strong recce will be important. It’s definitely one of the toughest events in rallying.

“If we can take a steady approach, focus on ourselves, and do a good job, then it should be a positive event for us. The boat journey on Thursday night should be good fun as well, so we’re looking forward to something a little different and to getting back onto the gravel after Japan.”

Mārtiņš Sesks

“I’m really excited to take on the Acropolis Rally again. Last year was my first time competing there, and there were a lot of things that were completely new to us. We had to learn the rally as we went, and unfortunately a few things didn’t go our way.

“This year will be interesting as the rally features some new stages and takes us to a different part of Greece. It will be great to explore the country again while tackling another demanding event. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jourdan Serderidis

“Greece, our homeland, is at the heart of our 2026 programme. We are currently leading the national championship after two rallies, but now our focus turns to the Acropolis Rally, one of the highlights of the WRC season.

“We are back with our M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 car, ready to compete against the world’s best gravel rally drivers. Our goal is to enjoy this demanding event, achieve the best possible result, and continue our fight for the Greek Cup awarded to the highest-placed national driver.

“This year’s event features several new stages, adding an extra level of difficulty. But we enjoy a challenge!”

Romet Jürgenson

“I’m looking forward to heading back to Greece, where we secured the Junior title in 2024. It’s one of those very demanding rallies where you have to think about a lot of factors that maybe aren’t such a big focus at other events.

“Hydration is really important, and you need to keep yourself in good condition to get through three tough days. The same applies to the car and the tyres – you have to manage them carefully and can’t always push at 100 per cent on every stage, otherwise problems can quickly arise.

“Overall, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s always a very enjoyable rally.”

Summary

This is going to be a very challenging three days for the crews and with very likely dry conditions throughout the weekend, it will make the challenge greatest for the championship leaders, Elfyn and Scott. It’s fair to say that the top three into the stages on the first day will likely have the worst of the road conditions as the top level of gravel gets swept from the road and creating the lines for the crews further back.

There will be crews who don’t complete every stage and therefore those who do will likely have that consistent run on everyday meaning they could take a really good result.

The action gets underway with shakedown on Thursday morning (25 June 2026) at one minute past nine  UK time and then the first stage, a short super special later in the day at a little after five pm.

We came then to the final day of this amazing rally and with almost 67 kilometres over four stages to run, what would they hold for the crews? Josh and Eoin would return to the action and open the road throughout the stages after the M-Sport Ford team completed rebuilding the Puma at around three o’clock. It was an amazing feat from the team.

 

First up was SS20 Vieira do Minho 1 and the rain which was expected had arrived making the stage super tricky. Elfyn would set the pace from Oliver and Thierry whilst rally leader Seb was fifth. The Frenchman saw his lead trimmed to just over fourteen seconds. It was a good start to the day from Elfyn who led the super Sunday standings from Oliver.

 

The first run of SS21 Fafe 1 saw the rain move through the stage changing the road surface. Josh set the pace from Martins for the Rally1 crews. However incredibly the later Rally2 crews came through with better road conditions and the Irishman’s time was beaten by Robert Virves by almost nine seconds in his Skoda Fabia. Interestingly Seb added a few seconds to his lead over Thierry as they set the sixth and twelfth fastest time respectively. Meanwhile, Elfyn continued to lead the super Sunday standings from Oliver.

 

Then it was back to SS22 Vieira do Minho 2 and there was more rain coming through the stage as the crews came through. Adrien was fastest of the crews from Takamoto and Oliver. Elfyn was fifth fastest and almost eighteen seconds slower than Adrien, but only around eight seconds slower than Oliver. This did mean that Oliver moved to the head of the super Sunday standings. There was drama for two of the Toyota crews though as both Seb and Sami suffered punctures and as it was early in the stage they both stopped to change the wheel over. This all meant that they dropped positions in the overall standings. Seb emerged in sixth place whilst Sami was seventh. The Frenchman’s hope for an eighth victory was gone.

 

We came then to the final stage, SS23 Fafe 2, the powerstage and again the rain was coming and going in the area as the crews made their way through. Adrien was set the pace from Thierry and Elfyn whilst Oliver was fourth and Seb fifth fastest. Thierry and Martijn took victory for Hyundai, their first of the year, whilst Oliver and Elliott were second and Elfyn and Scott were third.

 

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the final finishing positions.

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“What a weekend! It has been crazy out there, and we have faced all kinds of conditions and emotions, but we have been consistent, fighting with the fastest on every stage, never really losing a lot of time. I think that is what gave us the final victory, as well as making no mistakes. We know the rally is never over until it’s over; the stress was very high on the last stage, but we made it. This win feels very special; as a team, we have been chasing this result for a while, and haven’t been rewarded, and I let the team down in Croatia. We needed to fight back, and the rally gods were with us this weekend. I’m very happy to bring home the first victory of the year for the team.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“It has been a very positive weekend for the team here in Portugal, so we can be pleased to score 20 points as a crew and that Thierry and Martijn have taken the win. It’s a great result for the whole team, and with all the preparation we have done recently, I am pleased we are now enjoying some nice success. I’d like to say thank you to the team, and also thank you to the fans. It has been fantastic to see you all out in force even in the rain. Overall, it’s been a very challenging rally – but I think that’s why we love it.”

Dani Sordo

“I have to admit we are not very happy with our performance here in Portugal. It was a difficult rally with the weather, which made the conditions very slippery, and I didn’t feel good in the car. However, I am delighted for the team – everyone really deserves this victory, especially after what happened in Croatia, so very happy for this.”

 

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Oliver Solberg

“Firstly, I’m sorry to our team-mates who had been in front of us until the bad luck they had today. I think we all had our challenges this weekend. It’s been a tough event and a bit of a rollercoaster; we were up and down all weekend. After two tough rallies for me, and even if this one hasn’t been easy either, I’m very happy at least to finally be back on the podium with some good points. It’s a big relief. Thank you to the team for believing in me and our mechanics for always fixing the car.”

Elfyn Evans

“This has been a long event with very tough conditions and a lot of ups and downs. There were some moments where we had good pace, and others where I wasn’t so proud of my driving. I think there was potential for more, but we didn’t quite get it right. Our team-mates Seb and Sami have been unlucky today and I feel for them. I never want to gain positions that way, but it’s part of the sport sometimes. We’ll take the points and aim for more in Japan.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This was a difficult weekend for us. We took a bit of a risk with the car setup at the beginning of the rally to help with my road position, and it didn’t really work out. Together with the team were able to make improvements and the feeling got much better during the weekend, but it was difficult to catch up to those ahead of us. In the end, with the bad luck our team-mates had today, we could score some decent points. Now I’m really looking forward to my home event, Rally Japan.”

Sébastien Ogier

“We had some tough luck today. In the beginning of this penultimate stage, it was very rutted and there were some rocks in the line; I don’t think we could have done much differently. Everything that we could control this weekend, I think we did it pretty well, together with the team. I think we all deserved better, but that’s rallying sometimes. Of course, when you put in so much effort it’s frustrating, but we have to forget about it and go to Japan and look to get another win there.”

Sami Pajari

“It’s disappointing what happened today, as everything had been going really well until then. From what I could see, there was a huge loose stone in the line, and we hit it and got a puncture. There was nothing much I could do. Otherwise, though it has been a good event for us. The performance was really strong, one of the best we’ve had so far. It’s always a pity when the reward doesn’t come our way, but we just need to take the many positives from this weekend and be even stronger on the next rallies.”

 

M-Sport Ford WRT

Mārtiņš Sesks

“Looking back at the weekend, there are a lot of positives we can take from this rally. We showed consistent performance throughout the whole weekend, having some top three times each day, which demonstrates that we have a good base. Now it’s up to taking the knowledge from here and trying to put it into our next rally in Greece.”

Josh McErlean

“Rally Portugal is done and dusted. It’s been quite competitive this weekend with plenty of ups and downs. We nearly secured the stage win today in Fafe, which was special, but we were just edged out at the very last minute. We faced some issues along the way, and unfortunately hit the wall in Lousasa on Saturday night, probably the worst wall you could hit in rallying! I want to give big thanks to the whole team for their tremendous effort to get us back out today. They were up quite late last night, so thanks to all the lads and ladies for that. Japan is next, and we’re looking forward to it and getting back on Tarmac, before the summer gravel rallies.”

Jon Armstrong

“It’s disappointing to retire while we were fighting our way back into the points after the mechanical issues on Friday. The margins are fine at this level, and unfortunately this time it didn’t go our way. Portugal is a great event, but it hasn’t been my luckiest yet. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming rallies and coming back stronger.”

Mille Johansson

“We showed some really good pace in the dry conditions, but the rain made it very difficult to find a rhythm and build confidence. I think we exceeded our expectations for this rally, particularly in the dry, and I’m happy with that. There are still a few things we need to work on, but overall, it’s been a very positive rally for us.”

Romet Jürgenson

“We experienced an impact from a rock early on that broke the steering rack, leaving us without power steering. The wisest option was to retire to fix it for the next day, as there was no service available on days one and two.

“On Friday, I was able to demonstrate decent speed through the stages. Saturday was challenging with torrential rain affecting our road position, making it difficult to commit fully without risk. Sunday’s weather was more favourable, allowing us to achieve some good stage times.

“Overall, there’s still work to do in my driving, particularly on the sandy stages, to extract the best performance from the vehicle. Despite the challenges, this event was an improvement compared to last year. We’re now focused on moving forward to our next competition in Japan.”

Rally de Portugal Final Classification

1	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	03:53:01.7
2	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+16.3
3	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+29.1
4	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+54.8
5	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:12.6
6	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:26.6
7	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+2:50.9
8	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+4:10.0
9	M. Sesks	R. Francis	Ford Puma Rally1	+6:49.2
10	T. Suninen	J. Hussi	Toyota GR Yaris	+11:13.8

Super Sunday Classification – Rally de Portugal

1	O. Solberg	43:15.1
2	E. Evans	+4.2
3	A. Fourmaux	+4.3
4	T. Katsuta	+10.6
5	T. Neuville	+11.4

 

Summary

Well, what a rally we had and what a drive from Thierry and Martijn. They were there to benefit when Seb and Vincent had their puncture in the penultimate stage. The French crew in the Yaris on balance probably deserved victory but this is the way of rally and punctures are all part of the challenge.

Oliver and Elliott took a strong second position and also took the maximum points for super Sunday. This has given them a good boost of points in the championship, and they hold third in the championship.

Finally, Elfyn and Scott once again showed what a great partnership they have, taking third overall and good points as well to extend their championship lead over Takamoto and Aaron. It’s been a positive first half of the season for them and they’ll open the road next time in Japan.

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 6

1	E. Evans	123
2	T. Katsuta	111
3	O. Solberg	92
4	A. Fourmaux	79
5	S. Pajari	78
6	S. Ogier	67
7	T. Neuville	65
8	E. Lappi	21
9	Y. Rossel	20
10	L. Rossel	18

 

2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 6

1	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	311
2	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	218
3	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2	86
4	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	71

 

Next up is Rally Japan which moves from November to May taking place over the weekend of 28 to 31 May.

Onto Saturday’s stages then which included the longest stage of the rally and the crews had seven stages over 146 kilometres ahead of them. Martins and Renars would open the road throughout the day. There was also the promise of rain at some point, but it was hard to predict when and where it would fall.

 

First up then was SS11 Felgueiras 1 and this stage was dry throughout. Sami would set the pace from Thierry and Elfyn, whilst Seb who held the overall lead was four and a half seconds back with the fourth fastest time. This meant that his lead over Thierry was reduced to just 1.7 seconds. Interestingly the Belgian had a stall in the stage meaning that he might have taken the lead without this problem.

 

Onwards then to SS12 Cabeceiras de Basto 1 and we had two Frenchman setting the pace with Adrien edging out Seb by half a second, whilst Takamoto was a further two seconds back with the third fastest time. Adrien had the best of the conditions, particularly near the end of the stage as it was clear that in this last section the road was getting really rough. There was no rain in this stage.

 

Next came SS13 Amarante 1, the longest stage of the day and again it remained dry for most. Oliver would set the pace from Seb and Elfyn and amazing less than one second covered the three of them. There were no position changes in this one and Seb’s lead actually grew over Thierry to just over eight seconds and this was due to the rain arriving during the Belgian’s run, yet Elfyn didn’t have any rain.

 

The final morning stage, SS14 Paredes 1 and the rain really arrived for everyone in this stage. It was hard for the crews to judge where the grip was. Incredibly Oliver was fastest from Elfyn and Jon who’d set the early pace only to see it beaten. It was a good drive from all three of them. The Swedes pace saw him leap from fourth overall into the rally lead by just half a second over Seb whilst Thierry remained close, just five and a half seconds further back. Unfortunately, we lost Jon and Shane in this one as they hit a bank on the left-hand side of the car and the car rolled. Both of them were okay, but they were out for the rest of the day.

 

After the service break came SS15 Felgueiras 2 and there was another lead change as Seb set the pace by just one tenth of a second from Sami with Elfyn a further almost three seconds back. Oliver set the seventh best time and fell to second overall, now four seconds from Seb.

 

Into SS16 Cabeceiras de Basto 2 and Adrien set the pace from Sami and Thierry. Oliver had a tyre off the rim on the front right-hand side near the end of the stage, ultimately holding him back to the eighth best time and fell to fifth overall. Seb continued to lead but after being fifth fastest would see some of his lead trimmed over Thierry to just under four seconds. The rain really arrived earlier in the day and changed the road surface quite a bit.

 

Next came SS17 Amarante 2 and every crew had some rain in this one as well as no rain. Martins time stayed unbeaten until the last Rally1 car came through, that being piloted by Seb. The Frenchman set the fastest time by over eleven seconds from the Latvian whilst Oliver was third. This was enough to allow the Swede to re-pass Elfyn for fourth place the gap almost twenty seconds between the teammates.

 

Onto the final proper stage of the day then, SS18 Paredes 2 and Seb again set the pace from Elfyn by almost four seconds, whilst Thierry was third. The Frenchman now had a lead of over twenty seconds from Thierry and Sami remained in third a further five seconds back. Oliver lost a lot of time and was almost passed by Elfyn, the gap at the end just half a second between them.

 

The final stage of the day then, SS19 SSS Lousada and Oliver was fastest from Seb and Sami. The short stage around the track was not without drama as very heavy rain turned the stage into a really tricky thing to navigate. The first two crews to start, Josh and Martins would see the young Irishman slip up on some very slippery mud and saw the Puma hit the stage side very heavily breaking the suspension on the left-hand side.

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“It’s been a good day for us overall. The morning had been good until this last stage, where I didn’t take enough risk and we lost a lot of time. In midday service we switched to more of a rain setup and this worked much better for the afternoon. Coming to Amarante with crazy conditions, it was so close behind that I knew I had to drive well and take some risks. We’ve got a bit of a gap now but not enough to feel comfortable, because tomorrow the weather can still be tricky, and we’ll have to keep pushing.”

Sami Pajari

“Today started really well with a stage win, and the morning generally was quite nice with fairly steady conditions. Then this afternoon the conditions were much more intense with a lot of rain and super slippery stages. Still, we managed to stay out of trouble and have consistent speed. I think we can be really happy to finish a day like this cleanly and in third place, and to even be a little bit closer to second, and tomorrow we’ll try to catch Thierry.”

Oliver Solberg

“It’s been a very tricky day. This morning was great, going from fourth to the lead, and then in the afternoon we went back from first to fourth again. It was disappointing to get the puncture in the second stage this afternoon and after that it was tough, with a half spin in a very narrow place where we had to reverse. There’s still a long day to come tomorrow and the weather can be tricky again, and we’ll keep trying until the end to take as many points as possible.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“Today was overall better than yesterday for me but the conditions have been totally different. Still, I was much happier with the feeling in the car and the times were much better. I just tried to be clever, and tried to find something more that can work even better for me for tomorrow. It was a bit like Kenya in places with the mud and the standing water, but we made it through quite cleanly. Tomorrow the conditions could be just as tricky, but I’ll try to catch Fourmaux if I can.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Another tough day for us – the conditions were very rough, with a lot of rain on the last two stages, but we made it back to service. I’m pretty satisfied with my driving today and the speed we were able to go. It seems the Toyotas are a little faster still, but we are still in the middle of the fight, and as long as we can stay there, we are in a good position. Generally, I was missing a bit of traction in the wet, but the performance is good, and we kept Pajari behind. We need to make the best out of Sunday and defend our second place, which is what I intend to do.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“The conditions this afternoon were incredible with the rain it was very muddy and tricky with the grip – sometimes you had it, and sometimes you didn’t, and it would have been very easy to make a mistake. It was certainly not easy to manage. However, we are here at the end of the day, and that is the main thing. Our plan for tomorrow is to try and get the maximum points; the only other thing we can do is see if something happens to the cars in front of us.”

Dani Sordo

“It has been a really challenging day; the rain made conditions tricky and difficult. I tried my best, but I was struggling to find grip with the soft tyres. We were sliding around everywhere, and now we are in the middle of nowhere in the classification. The positive thing is that we are safely here at the end of the day, but we wanted to perform better this weekend. We will try our best to finish in a good way tomorrow.”

Classification after Day Three

1	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	03:09:13.3
2	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+21.9
3	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+25.8
4	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+49.6
5	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+58.2
6	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+1:23.8
7	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:35.3
8	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+3:44.7
9	M. Sesks	R. Francis	Ford Puma Rally1	+6:47.7
10	T. Suninen	J. Hussi	Toyota GR Yaris	+9:17.8

Sunday

The final full day will see the crews face four stages over almost sixty-six kilometres and there is more rain predicted as well. Let’s wait and see what happens! The M-Sport squad confirmed that Jon and Shane would not return to the action due to the damage sustained in their crash.

The first full day of action followed three stages run on Thursday evening. After those three stages Oliver held the lead from Adrien and Seb, whilst Elfyn was close to the leaders and holding fifth overall.

 

Into the action then with SS4 Mortágua 1 and Sami set the pace from Adrien and Seb. Adrien moved into the lead from Seb and Elfyn who’d driven well despite the fact he was opening the road whilst former leader Oliver fell to fourth position.

 

Next up came the middle morning stage, SS5 Arganil 1 and Sami was again the fastest driver from Adrien and Thierry. Elfyn lost a bit of time in this one as the road sweeper and was sixth fastest and fell to sixth overall as Sami gained three positions and moved into second overall, Oliver moved past Seb and into third overall and Thierry also gained one position moving into fifth place.

 

Onto the final morning stage then, SS6 Lousã 1 and Thierry was setting the pace from Seb and rally leader Adrien. The Belgian passed Oliver for fourth overall, now just over eight seconds from his teammate.

 

After the remote service came SS7 Arganil 2 and whilst it was normal for everyone else Elfyn and Scott had a crazy moment near the end of the stage, as they came across dust hanging in the air. Given that they were the first car into the stage courtesy of being the championship leaders who could possibly be ahead on the road. Well, the vehicle turned off the stage and it was clearly a recovery vehicle. What a shocking situation and this will require investigations by the organisers and the FIA. Elfyn was given back the time he lost. In terms of the stage though Seb was fastest from Thierry and Oliver. The young Swede passed Sami for fourth overall. Meanwhile Jon struggled through the stage after his powersteering failed and lost a minute and forty seconds.

 

Into the single run stage, SS8 Góis and it was an interesting stage as Elfyn’s time remained the benchmark for quite a while. His time was beaten in the end by Seb, Sami, Thierry and Martins, but there was drama for both Adrien and Oliver near the end of the stage as they came down from the top of the stage, first to go off was the Swede and he managed to get back onto the road and finish the stage, albeit losing almost nine seconds. It was worse for the Frenchman though who went off at the same place but lost almost thirty seconds and fall from the lead to sixth overall. He crossed the line with two punctures on the right-hand side of his car. Seb moved into the lead with Thierry now second overall and Sami was now third.

 

Time then for the final stage, SS10 Mortágua 2 and Thierry was fastest from Oliver and Seb. This meant that the Belgian closed a little more to Seb, bringing his lead down to just under four seconds. Meanwhile Jon made it to the end of the day despite the problem with the lack of powersteering and his teammate Josh was holding ninth overall. Their teammate Martins suffered a double puncture and fell nine positions to eighteenth position.

Let’s hear from the drivers and take a look at the top ten.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“I’m happy to be leading at the end of the day. It had been a difficult start to the rally for us. Like yesterday, I was struggling with the balance this morning and couldn’t really drive as I wanted, but we managed to change the setup during the remote service, making some adjustments with the suspension, and that helped us find better pace. We can be happy with that but it’s only a small lead and from tomorrow the weather can change and become trickier, so there are still two big days ahead of us.”

Sami Pajari

“It has been quite a nice day for us. I’m especially happy with how the morning went. The feeling in the car was much better than yesterday, the driving felt more natural, and the times were good. Conditions were drier on the second pass so there was more cleaning, and a couple of incidents lost us a few seconds. Still, we are in the fight with two days to go and only 15s from the lead, so we can be happy for the moment.”

Oliver Solberg

“Today has been a tricky day. It wasn’t easy to find the right feeling with the car. When the road was slippery I struggled to find confidence, but when there was more grip it was better. We also made a small mistake that led to quite a big moment: the front of the car bottomed out on some bedrock and that launched us off the road. We could have been closer to the lead without that, but we just need to keep going.”

Elfyn Evans

“It’s been an OK day today. We weren’t especially fast, but that was to be expected with our road position. The order had more of an effect in some stages than others. This morning it wasn’t so bad, but it was a bit worse this afternoon as some places dried out more. Still, we had a clean drive with no mistakes and let’s see what the weather’s like tomorrow. There’s a chance of rain which could help keep things open, but our road position should also be better even if it’s dry.”

Takamoto Katsuta

“This morning I was still struggling with the feeling. Of course, our road position was not ideal but Elfyn was able to do a good job in front of us and we couldn’t match his pace. We tried to change what we could on the car setup in the remote service and the afternoon was better, and I know how we can improve things further for tomorrow. The weather conditions could be tricky, but I’m hoping that can help us too.”

 

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“It’s been a while since we were last in this position, fighting for the lead of the rally with good speed in the car, and it feels great. It was a good day, although not easy, but the performance was there, and we were quite consistent. We were able to increase our speed throughout the day, so we’re working in a good direction, and we can be happy. Tomorrow, we expect new conditions, with a mix of sandy and abrasive stages. It’s hard to make any predictions, but I hope we will be able to be up to speed like today, and maybe a little more comfortable in the car.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“It was a very good two days until SS8, but I am very pleased with my pace and how we managed the tyres across yesterday and today. A mistake on SS8 meant I struggled with the brakes, and then we had to battle to the end with a double puncture. While we lost a lot of time, this rally is very long, and I won’t give up – the finish line is on Sunday. I really like the stages we will tackle tomorrow, which will be very different set-up wise, especially if it rains; it’s tricky to know whether our road position will be advantageous, but we will hope for a little luck.”

Dani Sordo

“Today has been pretty complicated. We really pushed to be in the fight, but we weren’t on the pace. We lost time this morning with the tyre choice, but in the afternoon loop we weren’t as fast as we expected – we couldn’t do any more. I was driving more carefully on the final stage because there was a lot of ruts. But let’s see, tomorrow is a new day. It looks like the weather will get a little bit more difficult, but our early road position could mean it is a little bit better than for others.”

Classification after Day Two

1	S. Ogier	V. Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	01:28:25.1
2	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+3.7
3	S. Pajari	M. Salminen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+15.2
4	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+16.4
5	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+28.1
6	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+34.3
7	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+50.1
8	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+1:23.3
9	J. McErlean	E. Treacy	Ford Puma Rally1	+2:20.7
10	N. Gryazin	K. Aleksandrov	Lancia Ypsilon HF	+4:34.8

 

Saturday

There are almost 146 kilometres of action on the second full day of the rally over nine stages and the weather is set to change with predictions of rain. Where and when it will arrive is unknown and this will make things interesting for sure.