EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Gryazin Takes WRC2 Lead

September 9, 2023Joe Moore
RallyWRC

The second day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Nikolay Gryazin took the lead in the WRC2 class on the day. 

SS2, Loutraki 1

Sami Pajari took home the stage win on SS2. Posting a time 1.1 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux on the stage. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Nikolay Gryazin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Alexandros Tsouloftas rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. 

SS3, Pissia

Adrien Fourmaux claimed the stage win on the third stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Fourmaux posting a time 3.4 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to take the stage win. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 4.7 seconds slower than Gryazin. Kajetan Kajetanowicz set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz. 

SS5, Livadia

Nikolay Gryazin took the stage win on the fifth stage of the weekend. Posting a time 4.9 seconds faster than Lauri Joona to take his first stage win of the weekend. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Joona. Marco Bulicia set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Pajari. Yohan Rossel, Grégoire Munster and Gus Greensmith tied for fifth fastest on the stage, with each finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Bulicia. 

SS6, Elatia

Nikolay Gryazin also took the stage win on the sixth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Gryazin posting a time 4.8 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen. Marco Bulicia finished third fastest on the stage, 7 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. Robert Virves set the fourth quickest time on the outing, 1.9 seconds slower than Bulicia. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Virves. 

Solberg Retires 

Oliver Solberg retired from EKO Acropolis Rally Greece on SS5 due to a mechanical issue. Solberg battled through the issue all morning but had to give up on SS5. Solberg was the favorite to win the WRC2 class coming into this weekend, but things don’t always work the way they are expected to. 

SS4 Canceled

The fourth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece was canceled due to spectators being in areas they weren’t supposed to be. Rally1 cars ran through the stage, but it was canceled for every other class. Spectators were in holes right beside the roads, and standing on the road in some sections. Canceling the stage was the correct call, as ensuring the safety of fans and drivers is the most important thing. 

What To Expect From Day Three

Nikolay Gryazin sits 29.6 seconds ahead of Yohan Rossel for the class lead. However, Rossel likely won’t push to beat Gryazin. As Gryazin isn’t scoring drivers’ championship points this weekend. Due to this Rossel leads the WRC2 driver’s championship scorers this weekend. Rossel sits 6.8 seconds ahead of Gus Greensmith heading into the third day. Marco Bulicia sits just 0.5 seconds behind Greensmith. Sami Pajari rounds out the top five heading into the third day, 3.2 seconds behind Bulicia. Robert Virves sits 6.6 seconds out of a top-five spot. Expect a consistent battle for first in class tomorrow. As Rossel, Pajari, Greensmith, Bulicia and Virves will all be looking to take it and all have a good chance to take it.