Sébastien Ogier and Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Staff have been on track to safe second place and robust factors from the Acropolis Rally Greece till a closing stage drama intervened yesterday (8 September).
Ogier was combating again after shedding greater than two minutes on the finish of Friday with a technical subject. On the ultimate morning he stormed into second total and an excellent lead within the separate Tremendous Sunday classification with wins on the primary two levels of the day.
The next Energy Stage provided one other alternative to transform that tempo into invaluable additional factors, however early within the rock-strewn take a look at Ogier’s automotive sustained a puncture that led it to run huge in a following nook and roll over.
Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais have been fortunately unhurt and, after a delay whereas they made some repairs, have been in a position to get their automotive by way of the stage and to the ultimate time management in Lamia – at the least securing the 13 factors they’d banked for ending Saturday in third place.
Sustained scorching and dry climate made this one of many roughest and hardest editions of the Acropolis Rally for a few years. Elfyn Evans misplaced vital time with a number of points in the course of the rally however reached the end taking factors for third within the Tremendous Sunday classification and the Energy Stage. Takamoto Katsuta, who stopped with harm on Friday morning, took fifth on Tremendous Sunday and within the Energy Stage.
After a formidable Rally1 debut with TGR-WRT at Rally Finland, Sami Pajari and Enni Mälkönen returned to their WRC2 marketing campaign in Greece of their GR Yaris Rally2 automotive run by Printsport and claimed their third win of the season in fourth place total. They sealed the win in an exciting useless warmth with Robert Virves (Škoda) after sustaining a puncture within the closing stage, and now near inside three factors of the championship lead.
It’s the fourth WRC2 win in complete for the GR Yaris Rally2 within the final six rallies in what have been probably the most demanding circumstances it has confronted but in its debut season.
Staff quotes
Jari-Matti Latvala (Staff Principal): “It’s been a tricky weekend, however Seb is a fighter and after what occurred on Friday, he needed to push. He wanted to attempt to win the Energy Stage and the Sunday standings as a result of with that we might have been in a position to get better some floor within the championship. What occurred within the final stage was unlucky and we paid a giant penalty for it, however at the least he and Vincent may convey the automotive to the end. We preserve combating, we is not going to lose that spirit, and we’ll take it rally by rally and see what the outcomes can be. One optimistic to remove from at the moment is that our Rally2 automotive gained WRC2 within the palms of Sami and Enni, and that’s one thing very nice to see.”
Elfyn Evans (driver automotive 33): “After a tough weekend, at the moment didn’t go in addition to we might have favored. Clearly, the pace continues to be lacking. In some sections and moments we have been nonetheless performing OK, however I didn’t really feel totally at house to actually push with no worries. I used to be most likely too eager to complete cleanly after what’s been a tough few days. It’s been a giant disappointment these days, issues haven’t been going properly and we have to get again heading in the right direction. We have now some work to do and we’ll look to begin once more recent within the subsequent occasion.”
Sébastien Ogier (driver automotive 17): “We gave the whole lot all weekend. We did lots proper, we had a terrific feeling within the automotive and nice tempo, and we fought as exhausting as we may till the final stage. Sadly, we picked up a puncture round a kilometre in, I didn’t react to brake early sufficient for the subsequent nook, and we rolled. Fortunately we managed to repair the automotive and produce it again to service, and at the least earn some factors for the crew. It’s been an odd weekend. In lots of facets it was near perfection, nevertheless it doesn’t rely in rallying in the event you don’t convey all of it to the top. This isn’t a rally the place you need to be taking dangers, you want some luck to take action, and it was not on our facet. It’s satisfying for me to nonetheless have the ability to compete like this: I get pleasure from pushing the bounds, it’s been enjoyable within the automotive. However I do know very properly in spite of everything these years that generally it doesn’t go your approach. I’ll nonetheless be there within the subsequent three occasions, persevering with to present my greatest and preserve combating.”
Takamoto Katsuta (driver automotive 18): “It’s been a really robust rally. Immediately on the ultimate day we additionally had some difficulties. The levels have been tough and I attempted to take some factors on the Energy Stage particularly, however sadly, we picked up a puncture. This most likely price us the prospect to take some extra factors. It’s been a disappointing weekend and I’m sorry for the crew. The automotive felt superb initially of the rally, however with my small mistake our possibilities of an excellent outcome have been over, so I must do a greater job in future.”
PROVISIONAL FINAL CLASSIFICATION, ACROPOLIS RALLY GREECE
1 Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) 3h38m04.2s
2 Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +1m46.8s
3 Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID) +2m57.3s
4 Sami Pajari/Enni Mälkönen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +7m01.1s
5 Robert Virves/Aleks Lesk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +7m01.1s
6 Yohan Rossel/Florian Barral (Citroën C3 Rally2) +7m31.9s
7 Kajetan Kajetanowicz/Maciej Szczepaniak (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +9m54.0s
8 Fabrizio Zaldivar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +11m27.9s
9 Josh McErlean/James Fulton (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +12m27.2s
10 Roberto Daprà/Luca Guglielmetti (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +13m44.9s
16 Sébastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +23m44.5s
18 Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +24m45.5s
30 Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID) +41m22.2s
(Outcomes as of 16:30 on Sunday, for the newest outcomes please go to www.wrc.com)
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after spherical 10:
1 Thierry Neuville 192 factors
2 Ott Tänak 158
3 Sébastien Ogier 154
4 Elfyn Evans 140
5 Adrien Fourmaux 130
6 Kalle Rovanperä 86
7 Takamoto Katsuta 80
8 Dani Sordo 44
9 Sami Pajari 34
10 Esapekka Lappi 33
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for producers after spherical 10:
1 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Staff 413 factors
2 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Staff 388
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Staff 215
What’s subsequent?
Rally Chile takes place on 26-29 September within the forests of the Bio Bío area across the metropolis of Concepción on South America’s Pacific coast. The levels are technical however largely quick with a mixture of easy and abrasive gravel.
ENDS
