Category: Tin Top Racing

Rally Finland Day Two Report – Elfyn and Scott lead for Toyota!

Day two then and the crews faced 151km over nine stages. The start list looked like this – Fourmaux, Greensmith, Katsuta, Ogier, Neuville, Rovanperä, Lappi, Evans, Tänak, Breen. Super Saturday is how it was described and with some long stages throughout the day. There would be a service break as well.

First up then, SS7 Kakaristo – Hassi 1 – 18.17 km, and Elfyn was fastest from Craig by two tenths, with Ott a further second or so back. These three were our leaders, with the Irishman still a good chunk ahead of Ott and Elfyn. Kalle moved ahead of Esapekka and the gap between them was just 1.6 seconds. Oliver rolled out of the rally on this stage.

The following stage, SS8 Päijälä 1 – 22.61 km, saw Elfyn take another stage win, but it was such a great time, that it took him from third into the lead! Ott was 4.2 off the Welshman’s pace and Craig 6.8 off and he now held a lead of nine tenths over Craig, with Ott 2.3 seconds back. The battle for fourth between the young Finns continued, with Kalle keeping EP behind him. Unfortunately, we lost Takamoto after he went off the road and couldn’t continue. The demise of the Japanese driver meant that Teemu who was leading WRC2 in his Polo moved into the top ten.

Elfyn made it three in a row, winning SS9 Arvaja 1 – 13.49 km from Kalle and Craig. His lead over Craig was now four seconds, with Ott a further two seconds back. Thierry remained ahead of Seb despite losing 1.6 to the Frenchman as they battled over sixth place. Gus and Adrien remained seventh and eight just gaining good experience for the future.

The last stage then before service, SS10 Patajoki 1 – 20.55 km and Elfyn was fastest again, 1.6 seconds ahead of Craig again with Ott, who was not comfortable with the stage conditions a further 2.1 behind Craig. It was a brilliant set of stage wins for the Welshman as he looked to take a first Rally Finland win as well. Unfortunately, we lost Kalle who lost control of his car on a lefthander and went of the road into a pile of dirt on the right. It was game over for him.

After the break, SS11 Kakaristo – Hassi 2 – 18.17 km was Ott’s though from Elfyn and Craig. Elfyn was only six tenths slower than the Estonian though and the gap between them remained 9.1 seconds, and Craig was still holding second overall with a reduced time difference to his teammate.

Into SS12 Päijälä 2 – 22.61 km and Ott was fastest from Elfyn and Craig and this meant that the Estonian had now passed his teammate for second place. The gap to Elfyn remained a very healthy 7.9 seconds. In the WRC2 category, Mads was fastest from Teemu, but the Finn remained 10 seconds ahead of the Citroen driver.

Well, it was another stage win for Ott in SS13 Arvaja 2 – 13.49 km as he continued to find good pace, but he was only two tenths faster than the leader, so Elfyn’s lead was barely touched. Esapekka was third fastest and was making fourth place his. Mads continued to reduce the gap to Teemu in their fight over the category lead.

2021 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 10 / Rally Finland / 28 September – 4th October 2021 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

The light was starting to fade as SS14 Patajoki 2 – 20.55 km and Elfyn broke early-stage pacesetters Seb’s time, and then Craig and Ott came through and were not able to beat his time. The Welshman had increased his lead over former M-Sport teammate to 9.1 seconds. However, there was drama for Thierry as he landed heavily and he lost his light pods from the front of his car. There was other damage, mainly to his cooling system, and he pulled over in an access road. He was out and any hopes of this year’s title have gone with this result.

The final stage of the day, SS15 Harju 2 – 2.31 km and there was a slight change in the running order with Elfyn going last. Ott eclipsed early pace setter Seb’s time, but it was great to see Elfyn match Ott time as they set identical times.

Classification after Day Two

1	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota Yaris WRC	1:57:46.7
2	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+9.1
3	C. Breen	P. Nagle	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+19.5
4	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	+44.8
5	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Toyota Yaris WRC	+1:23.7
6	G. Greensmith	C. Patterson	Ford Fiesta WRC	+4:16.9
7	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Ford Fiesta WRC	+5:31.5

Let’s hear from the drivers

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans (1^st)

“I’m pretty happy tonight, it’s been a strong day. It was a good morning for us, the car was working well and I just tried to keep a good rhythm. We made some minor changes last night to improve a few areas that weren’t working quite so well yesterday, and now I have a car that gives quite a lot of confidence, which helps a lot here and makes it easier to push like we have. There was a little bit of time dropped in some of the stages this afternoon but overall, we can be happy with the day. There’s still quite a way to go tomorrow, so we just have to focus stage-by-stage and keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Sébastien Ogier (5^th)

“This morning it was still difficult for me, the speed was pretty much the same as yesterday. The championship has been too much in the back of my head and I was not daring enough. But at lunchtime we made a setup change which made the car much more enjoyable to drive. It gave me more confidence and the times were quite good if you consider that we were still running quite early on the road. So this is a positive: At least I have some answers now for my lack of pace at the start of the rally and we could find a solution. Elfyn is doing a really strong rally and can close up in the championship, but I still have the Power Stage tomorrow to try and recover some more points.”

Kalle Rovanperä (38^th)

“The first couple of stages this morning were again quite tricky on the bigger roads, the grip level was really low and it was not suiting my setup and driving so well. On the third stage which was more technical and with more grip, straight away the feeling was really good and we could set quite a good time. Then on the next stage I made a mistake in a really simple corner: The cut was deeper than I expected, and it pulled us sideways towards the inside. I tried to save it from spinning but there wasn’t enough space and when we came back to the road, we went into this pile of sand on the other side. It has been a tricky weekend for me but hopefully we can restart tomorrow.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (2^nd)

“The pace has been quite good today; I was trying hard on every stage. In the afternoon, the grip was higher so it was easier to manage the car and I could push a bit more. I tried to put as much pressure as possible on Elfyn and push him hard, so that if he is able to win then it will be because he deserves it. But from first thing tomorrow morning we will try our best to battle for the victory.”

2021 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 10, Rally Finland
1-3 October 2021
Ott Tanak
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Craig Breen (3^rd)

“I’m really proud of what we’ve done so far, managing to do these two full days without making any mistakes and staying consistent, so we have to be happy with that. It’s slightly frustrating to lose some time to the top two, but it’s just the case of them having that little bit extra today. It’s a short day tomorrow, but it’s one that still needs to be treated with respect. I would love to get another podium and make it three in a row, as that would be amazing for me and Paul. I’m looking forward to it.”

Thierry Neuville (DNF)

“Everything was going well, but a couple of kilometres into the stage on a fast left corner there was a compression which damaged the radiator. We immediately got a water pressure alarm and then three corners later I saw that the temperature was getting higher and higher, so we knew that it would be difficult to go to the end. We tried our best to solve the issue, but the leak was too big and we had to retire the car. It is a shame as it had been a good day, but unfortunately there was nothing we could do.”

Oliver Solberg (DNF)

“I am so sorry and disappointed with what happened. This is not at all what we needed and I am gutted for everyone in the team.

“Everyone in Hyundai Motorsport and RedGrey have worked so hard to prepare a very good car and the test we had was perfect. So, it’s just a big disappointment!” The accident happened on the first run through Kakaristo-Hassi. “The accident came in quite a fast corner.”

“Over a small jump the car bottomed out and sent us in the ditch, then we rolled. Like I said, this is just such a disappointment – especially after such a positive result in Finland at the start of the season [on Arctic Rally Finland]. I came to make some experience of this event and I can’t do that now. I am sorry for this for this.”

2021 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 10, Rally Finland
01-03 October 2021
Oliver Solberg / Craig Drew
Photographer: Jordi Rierola
Worldwide Copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Sunday

One more day then with 45.7km’s over four stages, including the Power Stage. Can Elfyn and Scott hold on for a famous victory? Only four non-Scandinavian drivers have won this rally in the past. Elfyn could become the first Welshman to win? We’ll find out tomorrow!

2nd October 2021

Rally Finland, Day One Report – Craig and Paul lead for Hyundai

The first day of the 70^th running of Rally Finland saw almost 90km over six stages. The startlist looked like this – Ogier, Evans, Neuville, Rovanperä, Tänak, Katsuta, Breen, Fourmaux, Greensmith, Lappi. It was great to see the 2017 winner back in a Yaris WRC!

The short first stage, SS1 Harju 1 – 2.31 km saw Takamoto with his new co-driver Aaron Johnston set the fastest time from Thierry and Esapekka. Only 1.9 seconds covered the top nine positions as well. It was game one! Quickest of the M-Sport drivers was Adrien with a top five time as well! Mads led the WRC2 category from Jari and Nikolay, whilst Emil was leading WRC3 from Pepe and Teemu.

Into SS2 Ässämäki 1 – 12.31 km then, the first long stage and Takamoto had a huge moment in the stage with a 360 spin. He managed to keep it out of the scenery and finished the stage with the tenth best time. Craig set the fastest time from Ott and Elfyn and now just 1.8 seconds covered the top three as they all moved up a place and were now the top three overall. Esapekka, Thierry, Adrien and Seb all dropped down the leaderboard.

Ott won the following stage, SS3 Sahloinen – Moksi 1 – 21.37 km from Craig and Esapekka. The Finn’s pace took him into third overall as well, deposing Elfyn down to fourth. Championship leader, Seb, was not having a good day though, with him only eighth best time and holding seventh overall. After Takamoto’s moment earlier, he was now making his way back up the leaderboard and was now ahead of both Gus and Adrien and holding eighth place.

The first afternoon stage, SS4 Ässämäki 2 – 12.31 km after the tyre fitting zone saw Ott win the stage from Kalle and Craig. The Estonian still held the lead from his teammate, but there was a change for third place with Elfyn passing Esapekka after the Finn was only sixth fastest. It certainly wasn’t over though, as the top six was covered by just 9.7 seconds.

We had a new stage winner with Craig winning SS5 Sahloinen – Moksi 2 – 21.37 km from Kalle and Ott. The Irishman’s time cut the gap to Ott to just 1.5 seconds. Meanwhile Kalle and Esapekka had just moved ahead of Elfyn into third and fourth respectively. In WRC2 Nikolay was fastest from Teemu and Mads. The Russian’s time took him ahead of Teemu and into second place in the category.

The final stage then of the day SS6 Oittila – 19.75 km, and this started just as the sun was starting to set as well. Elfyn was fastest from Esapekka and Craig. The Welshman’s time took him back ahead of Esapekka and into third, but the big moment was for Craig who jumped into the lead after Ott was just sixth fastest in the stage. The Irishman’s pace meant that he now had a lead of 2.8 seconds. The drama of the night stage had paid off as well, with the top five now covered by just 7.9 seconds. Everything had closed up at the end of the day.

Classification after Day One

1	C. Breen	P. Nagle	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	43:51.3
2	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+2.8
3	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota Yaris WRC	+6.1
4	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	+6.7
5	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota Yaris WRC	+7.9
6	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+31.3
7	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Toyota Yaris WRC	+33.6
8	T. Katsuta	A. Johnston	Toyota Yaris WRC	+46.9
9	G. Greensmith	C. Patterson	Ford Fiesta WRC	+1:20.6
10	A. Fourmaux	A. Coria	Ford Fiesta WRC	+1:48.9

Let’s hear from the drivers

Hyundai Motorsport

Craig Breen (1^st)

“It sounds pretty good to be rally leader this evening. We have had an amazing day and I’ve enjoyed every second of it. The stages are really nice, and especially the final one in the dark. I have always questioned what Finland would be like in night conditions and now we know – absolutely incredible! The later runners were a bit more in darkness, and I actually had some moments at the start. We lost a bit of rhythm, missed a couple of junctions but nothing terrible; I enjoyed the last part inside the forest, and it was nice to see the time at the end. I think everyone is going to find a little something extra tomorrow, so we’ll try to take any opportunity that comes our way.”

2021 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 10, Rally Finland
1-3 October 2021
Craig Breen
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Ott Tänak (2^nd)

“It has been a surprisingly good day and very consistent. On the small narrow roads, we were a bit handicapped and lost a lot, but on the fast and flowing parts we were on the pace. The improvements in the car on these fast roads are down to the efforts of the team, who have been working hard; they’ve done their job well and the performance here is better than it has been for them in the past. My pre-event test was not fully representative, so I had to make some changes to the car to find some confidence. Thankfully, it was a better direction. Tomorrow, we have some tough stages and a long loop, so it’s definitely going to be the big day of the weekend.”

Thierry Neuville (6^th)

“From our side, the day was going quite ok, and we were in the fight up to the final night stage. I struggled to see the road at the end in the darkening conditions. I was quite fast in the first two splits, but the last section was very challenging, and I couldn’t commit as I would have liked. Up to that point, I had a good rhythm in the car and could push, so if we can pick up that level of performance tomorrow then we’ll see what we can do. Nothing is lost yet. We have to try and do the best we can to close the gap and if not, then we’ll try to keep our position and enjoy the stages.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Elfyn Evans (3^rd)

“I’m relatively happy with how it went out there today. The feeling has generally been good in the car. There are some areas where I’ve struggled a little bit more and we still need to work on, but overall, I’ve enjoyed the day. We obviously had a strong time in the final stage; it’s never easy driving in the dark and especially at these speeds, but the pacenotes were working quite well and I just went with the rhythm. Tomorrow’s a massive day with four rather different stages, and two of them are brand new. It’s close now in the top five, and anything can still happen, so we have to keep doing our best and see what comes.”

Kalle Rovanperä (5^th)

“It has been a really demanding day with tough conditions and a lot of new pacenotes. I think it was a difficult day for everybody with the grip level, which was really low. For us the first pass was not easy but we will try to improve the setup for that for tomorrow, and the times were better on the second pass. It is really close and everything is still open. Of course, after pushing really hard the whole day you would prefer the time gap to be the other way around, but we will try to do something about that tomorrow.”

Sébastien Ogier (7^th)

“It was not a great day for me today. We were hoping for better. There should be at least three cars in front of us tomorrow, so hopefully that will be better for us, but we need to understand exactly why we had no pace today. For sure, part of the time loss today was down to road position but that was not the only reason. I have to understand if I was just too slow or if there is something we can do with the car setup. The grip was not fantastic but I still enjoyed the driving, so I was surprised to be losing so much. The night stage I was expecting to be very challenging but actually this one went better than I expected; our lights were working well there.”

Tomorrow

Day two sees the longest day of the rally with 151km over nine stages. Pop back at the end of tomorrow for the full day’s report. Can Craig stay in the lead, or will we see Ott and Kalle move into the lead? One thing is for sure. It will be an amazing day.

1st October 2021

Rally Finland 2021 Preview – Big jumps and fast gravel!

We return to Finland for the second time this year, but the first time on the gravel roads since 2019. It’s been too long, but it is good to return! Also returning to a full world rally machinery is Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm. The 2017 Rally Finland winners are back in a Toyota Yaris and have recently tested that car. It’s been too long for them out of one of these cars, and I am glad that they are back.

With 287.11km of competitive kilometres over nineteen stages and run much later than usual, it will be an interesting event. Here’s a look at the stages. The last two stages on Friday and Saturday will be run as the sunsets.

Secto Rally Finland itinerary:
Friday October 1
Shakedown, Vesala 0801
SS1 Harju 1 2.31km (1.43 miles) 1338
SS2 Ässämäki 1 12.31km (7.64 miles) 1436
SS3 Sahloinen-Moksi 1 21.37km (13.27 miles) 1526
SS4 Ässämäki 2 12.31km (7.64 miles) 1708
SS5 Sahloinen-Moksi 2 21.37km (13.27 miles) 1758
SS6 Oittila 19.75km (12.27 miles) 1900

Saturday October 2
SS7 Kakaristo-Hassi 1 18.17km (11.29 miles) 0816
SS8 Päijälä 1 22.61km (14.04 miles) 0914
SS9 Arvaja 1 13.49km (8.38 miles) 1038
SS10 Patajoki 1 20.55km (12.76 miles) 1128
Service Jyväskylä 1243
SS11 Kakaristo-Hassi 2 18.17km (11.29 miles) 1516
SS12 Päijälä 2 22.61km (14.04 miles) 1614
SS13 Arvaja 2 13.49km (8.38 miles) 1738
SS14 Patajoki 2 20.55km (12.76 miles) 1828
SS15 Harju 2 2.31km (1.43 miles) 2000

Sunday October 3
SS16 Laukaa 1 11.75km (7.30 miles) 0835
SS17 Ruuhimäki 1 11.12km (6.90 miles) 0938
SS18 Laukaa 2 11.75km (7.30 miles) 1101
SS19 Ruuhimäki 2 11.12km (6.90 miles) 1318

Let’s hear from the drivers.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Sébastien Ogier

“Rally Finland is another rally that I love to drive. At this time of year, it could be a different challenge and a bit more difficult than what we are used to. We will discover more in our test just before the rally. For sure we can expect some colder conditions, and I have to say I am hoping for some dampness as well so we have less of a disadvantage opening the road. The Yaris WRC was born on Finnish roads so it should perform well there but I am expecting tough competition as well, including from my team-mates. Nothing is decided in the championship yet so let’s see what approach we will take on this rally, but I’m looking forward to driving those roads in this car.”

Elfyn Evans

“Finland is one of my favourite rallies on the calendar and I always enjoy the feeling of driving there. For me it’s actually been over three years since I last competed there, having missed the event in 2019, so I’m really looking forward to being back on those stages. At this time of year there will be a few new challenges which will be interesting, with the potential for different weather conditions and the fact we’ll be doing some stages in the dark. Our test before the rally will be quite important, as much for getting back up to speed on those roads as for deciding on car setup. For myself the drivers’ championship looks more difficult now but our approach won’t change, and I’ll go to Finland trying to do my best like always.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“Driving Rally Finland in a World Rally Car is going to be one of the coolest things for me in my career so far. A home rally is always different and Rally Finland is something special: It’s normally a really nice event and you can really feel the atmosphere there. Now that it’s later in the year, the conditions could be really difficult if it’s wet and muddy. That could change things a bit but I’m really looking forward to it, and it’s going to be really nice to see the fans cheering for us on the stages. It helps to have three really good rallies under our belt going there, but I think that it’s going to be a tight fight. Hopefully we can have a good weekend.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Finland is a very popular event – in the past, it seemed only Scandinavians could win there, but other drivers have recently been getting faster in Finland as well. I haven’t been able to win it yet, but I have finished on the podium once in the past. It is a very nice event, but it’s one of the tougher ones for me. I am always fast at technical rallies where road position is very important, however in Finland the goal is to keep it flat and it’s very different to my natural driving style. However, I am able to adapt, and this is where the recce plays a vital role; you need to have a lot of trust in your pace notes and just go for it. We know we have what it takes to finish on the podium, so that’s our target for next weekend.”

2019 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 09, Rally Finland
1 – 4 August 2019
Thierry Neuville
Photographer: Austral
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Ott Tänak

“The characteristics of this rally will be very different. There is a big part of the route that we haven’t seen previously, so we will need to put a lot of effort into our recce to ensure our pace notes are completely accurate. The weather could also change quite a bit, so this will keep us on our toes. As the last full gravel rally with this generation of WRC cars – in my opinion, they are probably the best ever – I will definitely enjoy this event. The roads are normally both fun and challenging at the same time, and as it is so fast with small gaps, we should have a great competition. Let’s see if we can take a third Rally Finland victory – we know our competitors and it will be tough, but we have worked very hard in the last two years so now is our chance to show we can fight in fast rallies.”

Craig Breen

“As a crew we tend to go well on events with this kind of profile, and I think this could be another strong event for us given our current form. The roads evolve every year, and as we’ve had a two-year break, I think we will notice a lot of changes. In terms of set-up, you need a car that gives you confidence to carry the speed on the roads, and a stable rear will enable you to really chuck the car into those long, fast corners and jumps. It’s the rally where you have to be the most committed. I’m still searching for my first win – it feels like it has been eluding us now for some time, but we are getting closer and Finland will present one of the better opportunities this year, so we will do everything in our power to make it happen.”

Jari Huttunen

“I am really looking forward to getting back into the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in Finland. This will be my first WRC2 event on gravel with the car, so we might face a steep learning curve. I am hoping my existing knowledge of these roads will put me on the front foot next weekend, as I have finished on the podium in the past and taken a victory there. We have shown the car is capable of winning rallies in Ypres Rally Belgium, and I think we have the potential for another good result at this demanding and fast rally.”

Oliver Solberg

“This is probably the rally I have been looking forward to the most this year. I can’t wait to take the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 there – we saw we had good speed and we were leading in Greece. The roads are gravel again but they are very different from Acropolis and so much faster. One of the things I really look forward to is driving in the dark, which will add to the extra challenge. In terms of a result, I know there are some really fast guys who know almost every inch of these roads, so we have to be realistic. I am focused on taking the experience and enjoying driving the car. My new co-driver Craig is a good guy, a former team-mate and somebody I know well. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

WRC Rally Estonia 2021

M-Sport Ford WRT

Gus Greensmith

“Very much looking forward to Finland, it’s one of the rallies every single driver looks forward to. It’s probably the rally that gives each driver the most satisfaction, in terms of pure driving experience. Especially in these 2017 cars, it’s something remarkable. I am really grateful the last gravel stage I will drive this incredible 2017 machinery will be Ruihimaki. It’s been special to drive these cars and something I will never forget.

Adrien Fourmaux

“I am really happy and glad to be taking part in this famous rally. Rally Finland has always been an exciting rally for me, especially in terms of spectators, even in 2019 when I did the rally in a Fiesta R2. It will be my first time in Finland with four-wheel drive, and will be interesting to work with Alex for the first time together. It will be a big challenge but we will do our best and take all the experience we can from the event.

Summary

Well, who can win this weekend then? Well, it’s hard to look past Ott Tanak. If he gets comfortable in his i20, then he has to be one to consider. Joining his teammate as a possible winner is Craig. His co-driver Paul Nagle guided Kris Meeke to victory in 2016 – Perhaps Craig who has taken third in this event, and was Kris Meeke’s teammate in 2016 can go even better? Thierry who has scored a best result of second place in 2013 is probably the one driver that we would most surprised to win this weekend, given his recent results in Finland, but we shall see.

The world champion, Seb, will hope that a slightly damp first day will allow him to keep the gap to the leaders small and to then be able to unleash the performance of his Yaris on these stages. 2017 winner, Esapekka, will be hoping that his return to the top cars will bring him another victory. He knows the car very well, but he’s not sat in it since the end of 2018. Will this hold him back? Time will tell. Elfyn will look upon this event as a chance to show the speed that took him to second place in 2017, and perhaps he’ll take victory and join Kris Meeke as British winners? Finally, Kalle who is now a double winner at the top level has to be considered as a possible winner of this year’s event.

For the M-Sport drivers, Adrien will look upon this rally as a chance to gain experience for the future, but perhaps on the second run stages, will show some pace if he can get comfortable. Gus crashed out of this event in 2019, but with a new co-driver this year has shown good pace. Again, if he can get comfortable, then we should see some top times from him.

Well, it all starts on Friday morning. Keep up to date with our daily reports at the end of each day.

28th September 2021

BTCC Silverstone – Hill keeps title fight alive with win in final race

Jake Hill reignited his title challenge by taking the win in the third and final race of the weekend at Silverstone. He overtook and held off reverse grid polesitter Dan Lloyd who finished second.

Ash Sutton managed to extend his title lead by finishing third after a quiet but consistent weekend for the reigning champion.

Lloyd made a good start from pole, while team mate Jason Plato, who started second, fell down the order, losing places to Hill and Stephen Jelley in his BMW.

Tom Chiton’s poor weekend continued as he collided with Sam Osborne coming out of Copse. He spun off but managed to rejoin and finished last on the road.

The BTCC Hybrid programme was concluded with the Toyota Corolla Hybrid driven by 2013 champion Andrew Jordan pulling into the pits midway through the race. The objective of the car was not to affect the action or get into any incidents. The programme a success on both fronts.

On lap 11 Hill managed to get past Lloyd and it was a lead he didn’t give up. He passed into Copse with a brilliant move and held on from then on in. Sutton was doing his best to catch the leading duo. He dispatched Chris Smiley on lap 16 into Becketts. Smiley had a good race, running in fourth for the majority of the race and held on for it.

Sutton was charging, he couldn’t quite catch Hill and Lloyd but by finishing third he manages to extend his championship lead with Tom Ingram and Hill chasing behind.

Josh Cook had the poorest weekend of the five title challengers, with Colin Turkington grabbing a hat-full of consistent points.

Pos	Driver	Car	Team	+/-
1	Jake Hill	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	21:24:184
2	Dan Lloyd	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+0.698
3	Ash Sutton	Infinti Q50	Laser Tools	+1.444
4	Chris Smiley	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+4.474
5	Stephen Jelley	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+4.906
6	Jason Plato	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+5.269
7	Aiden Moffat	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+5.476
8	Colin Turkington	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+6.146
9	Dan Rowbottom	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+7.740
10	Ollie Jackson	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+8.731
11	Tom Oliphant	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+8.938
12	Tom Ingram	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+10.652
13	Rory Butcher	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	+11.434
14	Aron Taylor-Smith	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+12.965
15	Jack Goff	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+13.277
16	Adam Morgan	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+13.566
17	Senna Proctor	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+14.111
18	Josh Cook	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+15.390
19	Carl Boardley	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+15.487
20	Sam Smelt	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	+16.120
21	Gordon Shedden	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+16.273
22	Rick Parfitt Jr	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+20.854
23	Jack Butel	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+21.147
24	Jade Edwards	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+21.405
25	Sam Osborne	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+22.992
26	Andy Neate	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+27.816
27	Nicholas Hamilton	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+28.265
28	Tom Chilton	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+28.534
Retirements
DNF	Jack Mitchell	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	Mechanical
DNF	Andrew Jordan	Toyota Corolla Hybrid	–	N/A

26th September 2021

BTCC Silverstone – Butcher holds off Cook for second win of the day

Rory Butcher took his second win from two at Silverstone as he held off a chasing Josh Cook.

Once Cook had cleared Tom ingram in a thrilling race-long battle, he hunted down Butcher but couldn’t quite take the win.

Cook was however disqualified from the result for failing a ride height check at the end of race scrutineering.

The first of two safety car periods came on lap three when Nicholas Hamilton’s Cupra was in the gravel trap. He recovered and rejoined the race.

On the restart Josh Cook was battling Tom Ingram for second place. The pair were side by side from Brooklands through to Becketts. The Hyundai of Ingram prevailed and he maintained second place.

On lap nine there were two incidents to bring out the second Safety Car. Carl Boardley was tapped into Copse by Andy Neate’s Ford. Further back Jade Edwards and Gordon Shedden collided and not for the first time this season. Shedden tipped Edwards into the gravel at Brooklands and out of the race.

Racing resumed on lap 16 with Sam Smelt joining the list of retirements with a mechanical issue. It was round two of the Cook and Ingram battle on lap 17. This time Cook managed to squeeze past Ingram into Copse and went on the hunt for race leader Butcher.

Senna Proctor was next to join the list of retirements after contact going into Becketts. His team mate Cook however was closing in on Butcher, and was hot on his heels into the penultimate lap.

The final lap meant it was now or never for Cook. He made an audacious dive down the inside of Butcher into Brooklands, getting onto the grass, but Butcher held on for the win.

He took his second win of the day from Cook, Ingram came third with Colin Turkington behind him. Championship leader Ash Sutton finished fifth with team mate Aiden Moffat behind him. Dan Rowbottom, Chris Smiley, Stephen Jelley were seventh, eighth and ninth respectively with Jake Hill going from 21st on the grid to tenth.

Pos	Driver	Car	Team	+/-
1	Rory Butcher	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	27:16:006
2	Tom Ingram	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+3.021
3	Colin Turkington	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+3.162
4	Ash Sutton	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+3.456
5	Aiden Moffat	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+3.492
6	Dan Rowbottom	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+4.182
7	Chris Smiley	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+4.494
8	Stephen Jelley	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+5.550
9	Jake Hill	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+6.706
10	Jason Plato	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+7.031
11	Dan Lloyd	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+7.036
12	Aron Taylor-Smith	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+7.796
13	Tom Chilton	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+8.348
14	Sam Osborne	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+9.570
15	Jack Goff	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+9.728
16	Jack Butel	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+10.036
17	Adam Morgan	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+10.166
18	Ollie Jackson	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+10.773
19	Gordon Shedden	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+11.066
20	Andrew Jordan	Toyota Corolla Hybrid	–	+11.621
21	Tom Oliphant	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+13.751
22	Jack Mitchell	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+14.902
23	Andy Neate	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+15.589
24	Rick Parfitt Jr	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+15.754
25	Nicholas Hamilton	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+24.217
Retirements
DNF	Carl Boardley	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	Damage
DNF	Senna Proctor	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	Mechanical
DNF	Sam Smelt	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	Mechanical
DNF	Jade Edwards	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	Crash
DSQ	Josh Cook	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	Ride Height

26th September 2021

BTCC Silverstone – Butcher cruises to win despite compromised start

Rory Butcher allayed pre-race fears to convert pole to victory in race one at Silverstone.

A liquid spill from the earlier British F4 race on the start/finish straight meant Butcher’s start would be compromised. However despite losing the lead to Tom Ingram, he soon reclaimed his lead on lap three at Brooklands with an audacious and well executed move.

The opening lap saw five retirements, with Andy Neate suffering a puncture and causing damage. Gordon Shedden and Sam Smelt had a coming together, Jack Mitchell retired early on with a mechanical issue and Adam Morgan also never returned from the pits after pitting on lap one.

Once Butcher took his lead back, Ingram was reeled in by Dan Lloyd in his Vauxhall Astra. Of the five title protagonists Ingram finished highest, with Josh Cook, Colin Turkington and leader Ash Sutton finishing fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

Jake Hill however struggled with 66kg of ballast in his Ford Focus, and was embroiled in a race-long fight with Tom Chilton and Jack Butel. He eventually finished 21st, and out of the points.

Butcher cruised to a win, with a winning margin of just over three seconds. Ingram held off Lloyd for second with Aiden Moffat’s second half renaissance to the season continued with fourth place.

History was made as the BTCC’s Hybrid car competed in its first race, driven by former champion Andrew Jordan. While it finished last, this wasn’t due to lack of performance. The Hybrid programme was simply to run the car in racing conditions, and so stayed near the back to avoid any incidents or affecting the championship.

Ash Sutton remains in the lead of the championship with only a handful of races left to go.

Pos	Driver	Car	Team	+/-
1	Rory Butcher	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	21:21:142
2	Tom Ingram	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+3.262
3	Dan Lloyd	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+3.666
4	Aiden Moffat	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+4.263
5	Josh Cook	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+6.674
6	Colin Turkington	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+6.929
7	Ash Sutton	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+7.379
8	Dan Rowbottom	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+8.113
9	Stephen Jelley	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+10.154
10	Jason Plato	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+10.564
11	Tom Oliphant	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+10.757
12	Ollie Jackson	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+16.981
13	Chris Smiley	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+17.270
14	Senna Proctor	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+17.621
15	Carl Boardley	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+18.009
16	Sam Osborne	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+18.763
17	Aron Taylor-Smith	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+19.410
18	Jack Butel	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+19.886
19	Jack Goff	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+23.460
20	Tom Chilton	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+23.822
21	Jake Hill	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+24.904
22	Jade Edwards	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+25.239
23	Rick Parfitt Jr	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+26.015
24	Nicholas Hamilton	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+28.099
25	Andrew Jordan	Toyota Corolla Hybrid	–	+30.593
Retirements
DNF	Andy Neate	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	Wheel
DNF	Adam Morgan	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	Damage
DNF	Sam Smelt	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	Crash
DNF	Gordon Shedden	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	Crash
DNF	Jack Mitchell	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	Mechanical

26th September 2021

BTCC Croft – Jake Hill boosts title credentials with dominant win

Jake Hill cruised to a dominant win in race two at Croft to take his second British Touring Car Championship win. The win also boosts his title credentials.

While Hill pulled away there was chaos behind him with around 20 cars all running close behind each other. Aiden Moffat defended incredibly well to take second with Josh Cook in third.

Cook was in the action from the off as he and Colin Turkington made contact into the high speed section, thankfully both drivers came out unscathed. The end of lap one saw Rory Butcher’s wretched luck continue as he was out after a collision.

Tom Oliphant also had another race to forget as he retired with suspension damage and the safety car was deployed to recover the two stricken cars.

Just before the safety car was deployed Hill managed to squeeze past Moffat to take the lead.

On lap six came the restart, Hill managed to get away well with Josh Cook all over the back of team mate Senna Proctor, looking to find a way past the local driver.

By la eight Hill was two seconds clear, with Moffat fighting to hold off the BTC Honda duo of Cook and Proctor with the maximum 75kg ballast in his Infiniti.

Cook finally managed to pass Proctor with a gutsy move down the inside into the Sunny corner.

While Hill was strolling to the win, the action was behind him as Moffat was still defending, but with a gaggle of cars behind him all exchanging places. Turkington the biggest loser as he dropped a handful of places after contact with Gordon Shedden into turn one.

Tom Ingram came out of nowhere to be fourth by the end of lap 15 from 12th on the grid.

Hill took the win, the second of his career, with Moffat showing some incredible racecraft and defensive driving to take second, with Cook third.

Ingram finished fourth with championship leader Ash Sutton fifth, Shedden was sixth with Turkington seventh. Proctor finished eighth with Chris Smiley ninth and Adam Morgan tenth.

Pos	Driver	Car	Team	+/-
1	Jake Hill	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	27:31:374
2	Aiden Moffat	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+5.508
3	Josh Cook	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+6.849
4	Tom Ingram	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+7.512
5	Ash Sutton	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+7.749
6	Gordon Shedden	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+7.999
7	Colin Turkington	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+10.087
8	Senna Proctor	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+11.254
9	Chris Smiley	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+11.916
10	Adam Morgan	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+12.262
11	Stephen Jelley	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+12.438
12	Jason Plato	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+12.771
13	Sam Osborne	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+13.152
14	Ollie Jaclson	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+13.370
15	Jack Goff	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+13.810
16	Dan Rowbottom	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+14.927
17	Tom Chilton	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+15.131
18	Dan Lloyd	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+15.330
19	Sam Smelt	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	+16.011
20	Jack Mitchell	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+16.472
21	Jade Edwards	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+17.225
22	Aron Taylor-Smith	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+18.419
23	Carl Boardley	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+19.013
24	Andy Neate	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+31.145
25	Nick Halstead	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+33.461
26	Jack Butel	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+1 Lap
Retirements
DNF	Nicholas Hamilton	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	Crash
DNF	Tom Oliphant	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	Mechanical
DNF	Rory Butcher	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	Crash

19th September 2021

BTCC Croft – Aiden Moffat fends off Jake Hill for brilliant win in race one

Aiden Moffat converted pole to victory in race one at Croft in the British Touring Car Championship. He fended off Jake Hill to take his fourth BTCC win of his career.

Having taken the first pole position of his career on Saturday, he led off the line with second placed qualifier Colin Turkington losing places to Hill and Senna Proctor to sit fourth. His BMW team mate Tom Oliphant had an off on lap one and finished 20th.

On lap three Ollie Jackson came off worst as Chris Smiley dove down the inside of Dan Rowbottom, the pair collided, and with Jackson on the outside of both, he was spun and retired with suspension damage.

The safety car was introduced on lap five as Dan Rowbottom was in the tyre wall as Aron Taylor-Smith clipped the Honda driver and it sent Rowbottom off into the wall.

The race restarted on lap nine and Hill was doing all he can to put the pressure on Moffat. But the Infiniti driver was defending well and did all he could to hold off the Ford driver.

There weren’t many overtakes at the front with the drivers thinking of the bigger picture and the vital championship points on display. After the first lap the top five didn’t change order once.

Moffat took the chequered flag, with Hill and Proctor rounding off the podium with impressive drives. Turkington took fourth with Josh Cook fifth. He pulled off an incredible double overtake on lap one into the tight right hand hairpin.

Championship leader Ash Sutton was sixth with Smiley seventh, Adam Morgan, Dan Lloyd and Gordon Shedden rounded off the top ten.

Tom Ingram could only manage 12th place in his Hyundai as his title fight takes a hit.

Pos	Driver	Car	Team	+/-
1	Aiden Moffat	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	23:26:297
2	Jake Hill	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	+0.520
3	Senna Proctor	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+1.888
4	Colin Turkington	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+2.269
5	Josh Cook	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+2.877
6	Ash Sutton	Infinti Q50	Laser Tools	+4.502
7	Chris Smiley	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+5.447
8	Adam Morgan	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+6.728
9	Dan Lloyd	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+7.337
10	Gordon Shedden	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	+8.043
11	Tom Chilton	BMW 330i M Sport	Ciceley	+8.808
12	Tom Ingram	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+9.776
13	Stephen Jelley	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+10.064
14	Aron Taylor-Smith	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+11.359
15	Carl Boardley	Infiniti Q50	Laser Tools	+11.970
16	Sam Osborne	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+12.649
17	Jason Plato	Vauxhall Astra	Power Maxed	+13.576
18	Jack Goff	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+14.276
19	Rory Butcher	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	+14.941
20	Tom Oliphant	BMW 330i M Sport	Team WSR	+15.167
21	Sam Smelt	Toyota Corolla	Toyota Gazoo	+16.101
22	Jack Mitchell	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+17.614
23	Jack Butel	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+23.884
24	Andy Neate	Ford Focus ST	Motorbase	+29.719
25	Nicholas Hamilton	Cupra Leon	Team HARD	+30.118
26	Nick Halstead	Hyundai i30N	Excelr8	+34.270
27	Jade Edwards	Honda Civic Type R	BTC Racing	+1 Lap
Retirements
DNF	Dan Rowbottom	Honda Civic Type R	Team Dynamics	Crash
DNF	Ollie Jackson	Ford Focus ST	MB Motorsport	Suspension

19th September 2021

Acropolis Rally 2021, Rally of Gods – My thoughts

Well, what an incredible return of the Acropolis Rally to the calendar. It may not have been the rough event that it was in the past, but it was no less challenging.

Let’s take a look at the performances of each driver.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

With Kalle taking such a strong victory, his second at the of the year, it’s fair to say the promise that he showed when he made his debut last year is definitely starting to bear out in some amazing results. Eight stage wins from the fifteen stages in total show complete domination, the kind that we would expect from any of the top drivers. If these results continue, then he could finish second or third in the championship.

2021 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 09 / Acropolis Rally Greece / 09-12, September 2021 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Now Seb opened the road throughout Friday, and he did really well to stay close to the top positions, and was ready to swoop for second place if Ott had any problems. Three stage wins confirmed the pace that Toyota had and showed that the team had made the most of their pre-event test. With this drive, he and Julien have pretty much put one hand on this year’s championship.

Finally, Elfyn had a tough Saturday with his gearchange problems, but he kept his head in the right place and delivered a very good result with some top times. It was the first time since he joined the team that he’d experienced any technical problems with the Yaris, which is pretty impressive. He even nearly took his first Powerstage win for a long time, only to be denied by Kalle at the last moment.

Hyundai Motorsport

When Ott was at one with his car, he was really quick in the way that we have witnessed over the years. Three stage wins was a good reward for the Estonian’s, and their first podium since his third in the Safari Rally Kenya. Far too long for a driver of his quality. It seems at least that the team have got on top of their suspension problems.

2021 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 09, Acropolis Rally
09-12 September 2021
Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, WRC, Action during Day 3 of Acropolis Rally 2021
Photographer: Vincent Thuillier
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Dani was kind of stuck in no-mans land, which was a surprise for the Spaniard. Still, it was a good start to the new partnership with Candido Carrera, and it will be interesting to see how things develop for the rest of this season.

Thierry took a single stage win, but just like Elfyn his pace was held back by technical problems, namely powersteering problems. He turned mechanic and fixed it, but had lost so much time with penalties and having to struggle with his car on the stages. He’s still in third place in the championship, but it probably fair to say that his championship hopes are over for this year. Now it will be all about where he can finish in the championship.

M-Sport Ford WRT

Finally, Malcolm’s team showed some pace, taking a second fastest time with Adrien on the last day. The Frenchman also suffered a technical problem, with him having to change the sparkplugs on the road section. This gave him and Renaud some huge time penalties and not only dropped him behind Gus, but also Elfyn. Up to that point, he’d been the fastest M-Sport driver all weekend.

Gus had a good weekend again, but was not quite on the pace of his teammate. Still, it was another decent weekend for the Brit and consistent pace brought him a more points. He’ll almost certainly be part of the team next year, given that he’s been testing the Puma Rally1 car.

In the WRC2 there was a great battle between Andreas and Marco in their Toksport run Fabia Evo’s. The Bolivian led at the end of Friday and Saturday, only to lose the lead each day. Andreas increased his lead on the final day and took a well-deserved victory, and thus extended his championship lead.

Finally, in WRC3, Chris held the lead for a while, before dropping back behind Yohan and then Kajetan. It was his first drive of the year with Toksport, the team that he won the ERC title in 2019 and ultimately brought him a deserved podium. Sadly, for Yohan, he was excluded from the results as his car when weighed was found to be overweight. A real shame considering his performance over the weekend, and the problem that he overcame after damaging his steering on the final stage and making a fix that meant that he could get back to the service park. The Frenchman has appealed the exclusion and we will have to await the outcome of this in the next few weeks. Emil took the final podium spot in the category as a result of the Citroen drivers’ exclusion.

Encore une victoire pour @Rosselyohan & @AlexandreCoria en WRC3 au @AcropolisRally 🔥🇬🇷 !

BRAVO les gars 🙌🙌 pic.twitter.com/y9850ErG2l

— FFSA (@FFSportAuto) September 12, 2021

Who was your driver of the rally? Let us know!

15th September 2021

Acropolis Rally Sunday Review – Rally of Gods. Day Three

The final day then of this incredible event! Kalle had a huge lead coming into the last day. With just under 70km over three stages, there was still plenty of opportunities for things to happen!

The startlist looked like this – Loubet, Serderidis, Neuville, Evans, Greensmith, Fourmaux, Sordo, Ogier, Tänak, Rovanperä.

Into the first stage of the day then, SS13 Tarzan 1 – 23.37 km. There was drama for Adrien as he suffered a problem on the road section, meaning that he’d had to stop to change the spark plugs. He was 18 minutes late to the time control and picked up 3 minutes of time penalties as a result. This meant that his teammate picked up fifth overall, and also Elfyn moved up a place to sixth as well at the expense of Adrien. Kalle won the stage by a huge 14 seconds from Ott, with Seb a further 13.9 seconds back from Ott. In the WRC2 battle, Andreas got ahead of Marco once again and the gap was up to 6.8 seconds! The WRC3 top three was Yohan, Kajeten and Chris.

The following stage, SS14 Pyrgos – 33.20 km, again just a single run stage as well, and Ott denied Adrien and M-Sport a stage win, whilst Seb was third in the stage. With his pace, the Estonian now held a lead over the Toyota driver of 32.4 seconds. Adrien’s pace in the stage actually meant that he’s passed Elfyn who was sixth fastest, but the gap was just eight tenths of a second. Thierry passed Marco for ninth place, and was now just five seconds behind Andreas, the WRC2 leader.

To the final stage then, SS15 Tarzan 2 [Power Stage] – 12.68 km, a shortened version of the mornings first stage. The startlist was updated to this – Gryazin (WRC2), Bulacia (WRC2), Mikkelsen (WRC2), Serderidis, Neuville, Evans, Fourmaux, Greensmith, Sordo, Ogier, Tänak, Rovanperä.

Thierry was the first to go under nine minutes, and then his time was beaten by Elfyn. It was looking good for the Welshman to take the stage win, as the following drivers could not beat his time. Ott had drama on the start line as his car nearly didn’t fire up, and when it did there was blue smoke at first. Adrien had a spin in the stage, losing 12 seconds to Elfyn and he dropped behind into seventh. Kalle completed the stage, 1.2 seconds up on Elfyn, meaning that he took the stage win and maximum points in the powerstage with Elfyn second, Seb third. Ott and Dani rounded out the top five. Andreas took the WRC2 victory from Marco, and Nicolay on his first outing for M-Sport. Yohan took WRC3 honours from Kajeten and Chris third.

Well, there you have it. Kalle and Jonne have taken their second WRC victory from Ott and Seb. This has lifted them into fourth place in the championship, just one point behind Thierry and Martjin who are a now six points behind Elfyn. Seb now has a 44-point advantage over his Welsh teammate in the championship, with just three rounds left.

2021 FIA World Rally Championship / Round 09 / Acropolis Rally Greece / 09-12, September 2021 // Worldwide Copyright: Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Final Overall Classification – Acropolis Rally

1	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota Yaris WRC	3:28:24.6
2	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+42.1
3	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Toyota Yaris WRC	+1:11.3
4	D. Sordo	C. Carrera	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+3:01.0
5	G. Greensmith	C. Patterson	Ford Fiesta WRC	+5:45.0
6	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota Yaris WRC	+6:42.7
7	A. Fourmaux	R. Jamoul	Ford Fiesta WRC	+6:54.4
8	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+8:41.1
9	A. Mikkelsen	E. Edmondson	Škoda Fabia Evo	+9:02.5
10	M. Bulacia	M. Der Ohannesian	Škoda Fabia Evo	+9:19.2

Let’s hear from the drivers then.

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

Kalle Rovanperä (1^st)

“I’m feeling really good to win here in Greece. It was a really tough rally to be honest, a long week with a lot of stages to recce and long nights watching the videos, so I feel really happy to be at the finish with this result. I felt good on Friday already, and then we did some setup changes to the car because the stages on Saturday were different, and I felt even better with the car. It came quite nicely; I could enjoy the driving a lot. A big thank you to the team, everybody did a great job and the car was running without issues. Hopefully we can take the same speed to Finland.”

Sébastien Ogier (3^rd)

“This is a very good result for us. The target this weekend was to maintain the lead we had in the championship and we actually increased it, which is very positive. I think we did a very clever rally. The conditions were challenging all the time. Obviously, I was not in the same pace as Kalle, he was really flying and on the next level compared to everybody, so congratulations to him for a well-deserved win. In the position I was in in the championship after Friday, my mindset was not to risk everything to win the rally, so I’m very happy with my third place.”

Elfyn Evans (6^th)

“This was not our weekend but these things happen in rallying and it’s been very rare at this team to have an issue like we had on Friday. The feeling in the car was generally quite good. Getting sixth place in the end today was a bit of a gift with an issue that somebody else had this morning. Maybe it was not a perfect run on the Power Stage for us, but four bonus points is still a good addition and at least we managed to salvage something from the weekend.”

Hyundai Motorsport

Ott Tänak (2^nd)

“At the end of a challenging weekend, it is good to come away with second place and another podium. We haven’t had the easiest rally, but we have worked hard to find improvements to get a better feeling from the car, and there have been some positive signs. Kalle has been on top form since the very start, so we have had to focus on confirming second place. We have made some bold decisions on tyres, which has only been possible because of the work of our weather crew. I’d like to say thanks to them for a great job. We know there is more work we need to do, but I think we’ve achieved all that was possible in Acropolis with second place.”

Dani Sordo (4^th)

“This has been a tough weekend. The days on which we had to make our pace notes were difficult and as a result we didn’t have the confidence we needed. The conditions today were really nice, and I liked the stages, but it was difficult to follow the road at times. Fourth place was about the best we could manage, so we concentrated on securing the result, nothing more. This was the first WRC event with Cándido, and he has done a good job, but we will try to do better on the next one.”

Thierry Neuville (8^th)

“We have given everything this weekend and we have fought hard from the start to the finish. Unfortunately, there is no compensation for all that work. Our rally was over with the power steering issues on Friday. Since then, our focus has been on recovering positions to try and salvage whatever we could from the rally. To be honest, I think we deserve more than this. We have put absolutely everything into it and haven’t got out of it what we should.”

2021 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 09, Acropolis Rally
09-12 September 2021
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
Photographer: Dufour Fabien
Worldwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

M-Sport Ford WRT

Gus Greensmith (5^th)

“The team have lived-up to the form that we have shown on rougher rallies this year and, although probably I could have hoped for more in terms of my finishing position, a top-five finish is a good thing for sure. I gave it everything I could.

Adrien hit problems early on this morning which you never like to see. We were having a great battle until that point, and he was at least able to continue and score good points.”

Adrien Fourmaux (7^th)

“A mixed day for us really, after picking up penalties for being late this morning because of an engine issue. We were able to set second-fastest time on one stage, but that early problem allowed Gus to pull ahead of us and I was left to fight to hold my position.

“On the Power Stage, we made a mistake: unfortunately, I spun and had to reverse but I tried, I had a big push, but unfortunately we ended the rally in seventh place. It has been an amazing event to experience and I’m delighted for the team that we have shown our pace and got the cars home, I just am sorry to them not to be higher at the end.”

Jourdan Serderidis (10^th)

“It was fun, so many people, so many fans from Greece and it was nice to come and the stages have been fantastic. It was great to be here and to get the car safely to the finish in the top 10 of the rally. The team has built a fantastic car, I want to thank them for an unforgettable event.”

Nikolay Gryazin (3^rd, WRC2)

“It’s been okay, a lot of things to work with but at least we are on the finish. We have a lot to learn about the car and the team but a podium finish at our first attempt is certainly something to take away from our first Acropolis.”

2021 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round nine

1	S. Ogier	180
2	E. Evans	136
3	T. Neuville	130
4	K. Rovanperä	129
5	O. Tänak	106
6	T. Katsuta	66
7	C. Breen	60
8	G. Greensmith	44
9	D. Sordo	43
10	A. Fourmaux	36

2021 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round nine

1	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	397
2	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	340
3	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	153
4	Hyundai 2C Competition	44

Next up is Rally Finland which takes place from the 1^st to the 4^th of October. Look out for my preview in the days before.

12th September 2021