William Creighton claimed the Junior WRC title this past weekend at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, despite issues throughout the event.
The Newest Junior WRC Champion
William Creighton came into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece with the best odds to win the Junior WRC Championship. However, Creighton’s odds at winning the Junior WRC Championship looked meek after a mechanical issue forced him to retire from the second day of the event. Nevertheless, Creighton returned on day three with one simple goal, salvage as many points as possible. He would do just that, gaining enough stage wins to secure the championship win.
An Emotional Victory
William Creighton’s Junior WRC win is a surreal one. As Creighton becomes just the second Irishman to win the championship. Who was the other Irishman to win it? Craig Breen. 12 years ago the late Craig Breen won the Junior WRC championship. Breen went on to become a star in the WRC, driving with Citroen, M-Sport and Hyundai. Unfortunately, Breen passed away earlier this season in an accident during the pre-event testing at Croatia Rally. Making Creighton’s win this weekend just that much more emotional for everyone. Hopefully, Creighton becomes a star in Rally’s top level, much like Breen.
What’s Next For Creighton?
William Creighton will have a choice to make next season. Does he decide to defend his championship, or does he decide to move up to the WRC2 class. Creighton has already driven a WRC2 car this past season. Driving a Hyundai i20 for the Ireland Motorsport Academy at the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo. Creighton finished 18th in class at the event, among a stacked entry list. 2022 Junior WRC Champion Robert Virves moved into the WRC2 class this past season. Finding mild success so far but is improving steadily. If Creighton wants a chance at the sports top level he should move into a WRC2 car if given the chance. Creighton will have a couple months to decide on his next move however.
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to a close. Kalle Rovanperä topped the podium for the third time this season, along with a Toyota 1-2 finish.
Day One
Kalle Rovanperä took the lead on the first day of the event. Winning the SuperSpecial stage to take a 0.3 second lead over Esapekka Lappi heading into the second day. Thierry Neuville sat third, 0.1 seconds behind Lappi heading into the day.
Day Two
Thierry Neuville took over the rally lead on SS2 and maintained it throughout day two. Although Neuville only won a single stage, he managed to take a 2.8 second lead into the third day. Kalle Rovanperä fell to third overall, 22.7 seconds behind Ogier.
Day Three
Day Three was were things really kicked off. Kalle Rovanperä won 5 of the 6 stages on the day, to take the lead by the end of the day. That lead wasn’t as a result of the stage wins however. As Thierry Neuville retired due to a broken suspension early into the day. Handing Sebastien Ogier the lead as a result. Ogier maintained the lead until a broken suspension forced him to retire in the final stage of the day. Thus handing Rovanperä a near 2 minute lead over Elfyn Evans heading into the final day.
Day Four
The fourth day was uneventful, Rovanperä played it safe and didn’t take any risks on the day. Elfyn Evans, Dani Sordo and Kalle Rovanperä each won a stage on the fourth day. With Rovanperä taking the Powerstage win to take home a maximum 30 points. Elfyn Evans finished second, while Dani Sordo finished third overall.
Drivers’ Championship Rundown
Kalle Rovanperä took home the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece win. Beating championship rival Elfyn Evans by over a minute in a half. Rovanperä now leads the drivers’ championship standings by 33 points over Evans. Thierry Neuville remains third, now 31 points behind Evans, not scoring any points in Greece. After a broken suspension took Neuville out of the event lead. Ott Tänak managed to remain fourth in the championship, finishing fourth overall in Greece. Tänak now sits 15 points behind Neuville. Sebastien Ogier also maintained fifth overall in the championship, taking home just a single point this weekend. Ogier now sits 20 points behind Tänak. Esapekka Lappi sits on the cusp of a top five spot in the drivers’ championship, just a single point behind Ogier.
A Two-Horse Race
Thierry Neuville’s broken suspension didn’t only cost him the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece win. It also cost Neuville pretty much any chance he had at winning the drivers’ championship this season. As Neuville now sits 66 points behind Rovanperä, with only 90 points available throughout the rest of the season. This of course means Neuville can still win the championship. However, Neuville’s championship hopes rely on Rovanperä and Evans both making mistakes in Chile. Mistakes are rare for Evans, and nearly unheard of for Rovanperä. This is rally, however, and anything is possible.
Tänak Comes Back
Ott Tänak came into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece looking for redemption. Tänak finished second at the event in both 2021 and 2022, Tänak’s redemption wasn’t with the event however. It was with the car and his luck in general. Tänak has had a lacklustre last couple of events. As a 5 minute penalty at the beginning of Rally Estonia ruined his chances of winning the event, although he did make a comeback and finish 8th at the event. Secto Rally Finland was one to forget for Tänak. As exposed bedrock destroyed Tänak’s oil pan ending his rally on SS3. EKO Acropolis Rally Greece also started badly for Tänak. As he was given a 3-minute and 40-second penalty for arriving 22 minutes late to SS3. Putting Tänak out of the running to take home the event win or finish second for the third straight season. However, the penalty didn’t stop Tänak. As the Estonian pushed back into a top-five spot. He was helped by other drivers having misfortune, however. Nonetheless, Tänak did something pretty amazing considering how unreliable the Puma’s have been as of late.
A Battle For Third
The Drivers’ championship is now down to a two-horse race with Neuville out of the running. However, a battle for the championship lead isn’t going to be the only battle taking place throughout the remainder of the season. As Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak will battle for the final podium spot. With just 15 points separating the former teammates.
The fourth and final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Andreas Mikkelsen took the lead to take home the event win.
SS13, Tarzan
Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the stage win on the 13th stage of the event. Posting a time 4.9 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 5.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds behind Gryazin. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.6 seconds slower than Greensmith.
SS14, Grammeni 1
Nikolay Gryazin took the stage win on the 14th stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Gryazin posting a time 1.5 seconds faster than Andreas Mikkelsen to end Mikkelsen’s winning streak. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. Lauri Joona set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Robert Virves rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Joona.
SS15, Grammeni 2, Powerstage
Nikolay Gryazin also won the final stage of the event. Posting a time 4.8 seconds faster than Lauri Joona. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Joona. Andreas Mikkelsen set the fourth fastest time on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Mikkelsen.
Mikkelsen Holds On
Andreas Mikkelsen came into the day second in the WRC2 class, although he technically led after winning all the stages on day three. How did Mikkelsen lose time? SS10 was red-flagged for some drivers, meaning drivers lost time. As a result of the red flag, Gus Greensmith was awarded time that put him 12 seconds ahead of Mikkelsen. This decision was made on the morning of the fourth day, shortly after our day three recap for WRC2 was published. Mikkelsen clawed back 10.9 seconds in SS13, cutting Greensmith’s lead to just 1.1 seconds. On SS14 Mikkelsen regained the lead, taking another 8.8 seconds out of Greensmith.
Powerstage Bonus Points
This normally doesn’t have to be clarified, however, this weekend was different. As Nikolay Gryazin set the fastest time on the Powerstage, however Gryazin isn’t scoring Drivers’ championship points this weekend. This means he didn’t get awarded the 3 bonus points for winning the stage. Instead, Lauri Joona takes home the bonus points as he posted the fastest time of the drivers scoring championship points. Adrien Fourmaux took home two and Andreas Mikkelsen took home a single bonus point.
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece WRC2 Day 3 Recap
The fourth and final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä held on to the lead to take home the event win.
SS13, Tarzan
Elfyn Evans claimed the stage win on the first stage of the final day. Posting a time 9 seconds faster than Dani Sordo to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 6 seconds slower than Sordo. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time, 1.2 seconds behind Neuville. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 8.5 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS14, Grammeni 1
Dani Sordo took the stage win on the 14th stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Posting a time 1.3 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Sordo. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.2 seconds slower than Tänak. WRC2 driver Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five fastest times on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville.
SS15, Grammeni 2, Powerstage
Kalle Rovanperä took home the final stage win of the event to claim victory. With Rovanperä posting a time 2.5 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to win the stage. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Sordo.
Rovanperä Holds On
Kalle Rovanperä held on to the event lead to take home his third rally win of the season. Beating teammate and championship rival Elfyn Evans in the process. Rovanperä will take home a max 30 points from EKO Acropolis Rally Greece to up his total points to 200 points.
The third day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Andreas Mikkelsen regained the event lead on the day.
SS7, Pavliani 1
Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the first stage win of the third day of the event. Posting a time 21.5 seconds faster than Marco Bulicia on the stage. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Bulicia. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6 seconds slower than Fourmaux.
SS8, Karoutes 1
Andreas Mikkelsen also took the stage win on the eighth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Mikkelsen posting a time 16.3 seconds faster than Marco Bulicia. Lauri Joona finished third fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Bulicia. Kajetan Kajetanowicz set the fourth fastest time on the outing, 2.3 seconds slower than Joona. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz.
SS9, Eleftherohori 1
Andreas Mikkelsen also won the ninth stage of the event. Positing a time 7.3 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to sweep the morning stages. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 1.2 seconds slower than Greensmith. Yohan Rossel set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 9.1 seconds slower than Pajari. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 8.8 seconds slower than Rossel.
SS10, Pavliani 2
Andreas Mikkelsen picked up where he left off, taking the stage win on the tenth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Mikkelsen posting a time 22.3 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux to win his fourth consecutive stage. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 6 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Grégoire Munster set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 16.3 seconds slower than Greensmith. Alejandro Cachón rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 11.8 seconds slower than Munster.
SS11, Karoutes 2
Andreas Mikkelsen also took the stage win on SS11. Posting a time 2.7 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmaux to take his fifth consecutive stage win. Gus Greensmith finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Grégoire Munster set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Greensmith. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Munster.
SS12, Eleftherohori 2
Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the stage win on the 12th stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Mikkelsen posting a time 5.2 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to complete the sweep of the day and take the WRC2 class lead. Adrien Fourmaux finsihed third fastest on the stage, 11.2 seconds slower than Greensmith. Grégoire Munster set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1 second slower than Munster.
Retirements
Nikolay Gryazin, Sami Pajari and Marco Bulicia would all retire on the third day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Gryazin retired from the class lead on SS8 due to a mechanical issue. Bulicia retired just one stage later due to a mechanical issue also. Sami Pajari retired on SS12 also due to a mechanical issue. All three drivers are scheduled to return for the final day of the event.
Mikkelsen Comes Back
Andreas Mikkelsen had a disappointing second day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. As the WRC2 championship leader experienced 3 punctures on the day, dropping him to 13th in class heading into day three. Mikkelsen did what should’ve been impossible. As the Norwegian won all the stages on the day to take the class lead heading into the final day. Mikkelsen showed today why he deserves both the WRC2 championship and another chance at the sports top level.
What To Expect From Day Four
Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 class by 0.4 seconds heading into the final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Gus Greensmith sits second, due to how close the gap is there will definitely be a battle for first between Mikkelsen and Greensmith. Yohan Rossel sits a minute and 4.8 seconds behind Greensmith heading into the final day, so don’t expect much from Rossel. As he will likely try to hold onto the final podium position. M-Sport drivers fill the last two top five spots, with Munster in fourth and Fourmaux in fifth. Munster sits 36.4 seconds behind Rossel and 25.6 seconds ahead of Fourmaux. Kajetan Kajetanowicz sits just 7.9 seconds out of a top-five spot, so he will likely battle with Fourmaux for the position.
Sebastien Ogier has officially retired from EKO Acropolis Rally Greece after an issue on stage 12, find out more below.
Why Is Ogier Retiring?
On stage 12 Sebastien Ogier experienced a mechanical issue. That issue being one of the rear suspension arms on his Toyota breaking. Add that to the two punctures he got and he was crawling through the stage. Ogier lost just under 4 minutes to Kalle Rovanperä on the stage, losing the lead in the process and falling to fourth overall. The stage may have been over but the real battle was just starting for the Frenchman. As now Ogier had to make it back to service before time ran out. Ogier didn’t make the cut off, stopping on the road section after the stage to attempt to repair the issue.
Will He Return?
Sebastien Ogier’s retirement sounds like it’s only for the third day, not for the remainder of the event. Until the official start list for day four is confirmed we won’t know if the Frenchman is restarting. The WRC has Ogier marked as 9th on the timesheet currently, 2 minutes and 45.4 seconds behind Takamoto Katsuta. Ogier will likely be able to move up to 7th overall if he returns for the final three stages and doesn’t have any extra issues.
What Ogier Being Out Means For The Rally
Sebastien Ogier was the most likely to win the event after Thierry Neuville retired from the event early into the third day with the same issue as Ogier. Kalle Rovanperä and Ogier were expected to battle for the event win, however, due to Ogier’s retirement Rovanperä has won the event unless he has an issue tomorrow. Ogier’s retirement also pretty much guarantees Ott Tänak a spot within the top five. As the Estonian now sits 2 minutes and 40.3 seconds behind Elfyn Evans and 1 minute and 26.5 seconds ahead of Takamoto Katsuta. Although as today has proven anything is possible in an event like EKO Acropolis Rallg Greece. Especially after heavy rain left the event in a Safari Rally Kenya-like state.
The third day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä regained the event lead on the day.
SS7, Pavliani 1
Kalle Rovanperä claimed the stage win on the seventh stage of the weekend. With Rovanperä posting a time 1.3 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to take the stage win. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 10.6 seconds slower than Ogier, losing the rally lead to Ogier in the process. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.5 seconds slower than Evans.
SS8, Karoutes 1
Thierry Neuville took home the stage win on the eighth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Neuville posting a time 9.8 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to regain the rally lead. Elfyn Evans finished third quickest on the outing, 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 14.2 seconds slower than Rovanperä.
SS9, Eleftherohori 1
Kalle Rovanperä claimed the final stage win of the third days opening loop. Posting a time 1.5 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take his second stage win of the day. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 8.9 seconds slower than Neuville, expanding Neuville’s event lead to 10.9 seconds. Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.7 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Sordo.
SS10, Pavliani 2
Kalle Rovanperä picked up where he left off, taking another stage win. Posting a time 0.2 seconds faster than now rally leader Sebastien Ogier. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 6.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.8 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak once again rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1 second slower than Sordo.
SS11, Karoutes 2
Kalle Rovanperä continued his streak of dominance taking the stage win on the 11th stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With Rovanperä posting a time 0.2 seconds faster than Ogier once again. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 10 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Evans. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.7 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS12, Eleftherohori 2
Kalle Rovanperä closed out the third day with yet another stage win. Posting a time 12.9 seconds faster than Dani Sordo to take the rally lead. Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak tied for the third fastest time on the stage, with both finishing 9.1 seconds slower than Sordo. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 13.2 seconds slower than Evans and Tänak. WRC2 driver Andreas Mikkelsen rounded out the top five fastest times on the stage, finishing 12.3 seconds behind Katsuta.
Trouble For Ogier
On SS12 Sebastien Ogier met his fate. As what’s suspected to be a broken suspension arm caused him to fall out of the rally lead. Losing just under 4 minutes to Kalle Rovanperä on the stage and falling to fourth overall just over a minute ahead of Tänak. Ogier sat 12.4 seconds ahead of Rovanperä heading into SS12
Neuville Out
Sebastien Ogier wasn’t the only driver to have an issue on day three of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. As on SS10 Neuville had his suspension break. Neuville retired from the day soon after. It’s unknown if Neuville will return to action for the final day of the event. Neuville sat 10.9 seconds ahead of Ogier heading into the stage.
A Resurging Estonian
Ott Tänak sits in fifth heading into the final day of the event. On day two Tänak received a 3-minute and 40-second penalty for being 22 minutes late to SS4. The cause for Tänak being late was him having to repair a water pump in his car. SS4 was ultimately canceled before Tänak could run the stage. Issues for Esapekka Lappi and Takamoto Katsuta allowed the Estonian to move into a top-five spot. Now sitting just a minute and 4.9 seconds behind Ogier heading into the final three stages.
What To Expect From Day Four
The fourth and final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will feature 3 special stages. Meaning there isn’t much room for drivers to gain back loads of time. Kalle Rovanperä sits 2 minutes and 4.4 seconds ahead of Dani Sordo heading into the final day. Due to this there likely won’t be a battle for first tomorrow unless Rovanperä has an issue or makes a mistake. There will be a battle for second, however, as just 5 seconds separate Sordo and Elfyn Evans heading into the day.
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.
The second day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Thierry Neuville took over the lead in the WRC1 class on the day.
SS2, Loutraki 1
Thierry Neuville claimed the win on the second stage. With Neuville posting a time 3.4 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to take the rally lead. Ott Tänak finished third on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Evans.
SS3, Pissia
Kalle Rovanperä took the stage win on the third stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Posting a time 3.1 seconds faster than rally leader Thierry Neuville to win the stage. Sebastien Ogier finsihed third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.8 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak.
SS4, Loutraki 2
Stage 4 saw Sebastien Ogier take the stage win for his first of the weekend. With Ogier posting a time 2.2 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to win the stage. Esapekka Lappi and Ott Tänak tied for third fastest on the stage, with each finishing 1.6 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Lappi and Tänak. Dani Sordo and Kalle Rovanperä tied for the fifth fastest time on the stage, with each finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Evans.
SS5, Livadia
Ott Tänak took the stage win on the fifth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Posting a time 5.9 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take his first stage win of the weekend. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 5 seconds slower than Neuville. Esapekka Lappi set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.2 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.5 seconds slower than Lappi.
SS6, Elatia
Ott Tänak also took the stage win on SS6, posting a time 4.9 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to claim the stage win. Elfyn Evans finished third quickest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.2 seconds slower than Neuville.
Penalty For Tänak
Ott Tänak had his hopes of a rally win stumbled after he received a 3-minute and 40-second penalty for being 22 minutes late to SS4. Tänak was hoping to get back on track this weekend after a penalty put him out of the race in Estonia and a mechanical issue forced him out of Finland.
Loubet Retires
Pierre-Louis Loubet retired before SS2 even started due to a mechanical issue. Loubet was likely looking for redemption after a mechanical issue forced him out of the lead of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece last season.
What To Expect From Day Three
Day three of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece should be an exciting one. As just 2.8 seconds separate Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier for the rally lead. From there it gets a lot less interesting. Kalle Rovanperä sits 22.7 seconds back from Ogier. Elfyn Evans sits 5.5 seconds behind Rovanperä so there will likely be a battle there. Esapekka Lappi rounds out the top five heading into the final day, sitting 1.1 seconds behind Rovanperä. So a three-way battle for third will likely take place tomorrow. All eyes will be on Rovanperä and Evans however.
Earlier this week EA Sports revealed their new WRC game, or well teased is probably a better term, but here’s everything we know so far.
Release Date And Cover
EA Sports WRC is coming to next-generation consoles and PC on November 3rd, 2023. The game will have a different cover for each platform, with Kalle Rovanperä on the PlayStation cover, Ott Tänak on the PC cover and Thierry Neuville on the Xbox cover. This is different to what Nacon who used Toyota’s on the cover for the past couple of games.
From The Creators Of Dirt
You’ve probably at some point heard of the Dirt series of video games. Maybe not so much if you don’t do sim racing, but if you do there’s about a 90% chance you’ve heard of the game. Dirt was originally called Colin McRae Rally but was rebranded to Dirt after Colin McRae Dirt 2 was released. Codemasters is the primary developer for the game series, they will also be the developers of the new WRC game.
Dirt Rally 2.0 is probably one of the hardest sim racing games out there. As a result of the cars being difficult to drive and there being little room for error, much like a real rally stage. The new EA Sports WRC game will use a different engine to that of Dirt Rally. Switching to the ever-popular Unreal engine which is used in the battlefield series among other EA Sports titles. How the unreal engine will work with Rally cars is yet to be seen as a result of us only having seen about a minute of in-game footage.
What Will Be Featured?
Rallies
EA Sports WRC is said to feature 18 unique locations (13 from the 2023 WRC calendar and 5 historic). With the total number of stages in the game being about 200. It’s unknown if that’s unique stages or if variations of the same stages are included in that 200.
Cars
The game will feature all 3 Rally1 cars used in the 2023 WRC season. As well as all WRC2 and WRC junior cars. It’ll also feature cars from the World Rally Car era, Group B and A eras, Kit Cars and more. It’s thought that every car in Dirt Rally 2 will transfer over to the new game.
Builder Mode
One of the new features to the WRC game series will be the builder mode. How exactly this mode will work is unknown at this time. However, it’ll likely work the same as building your own F1 team in the F1 game series. You’ll be able to select your own car shell from a variety of base models. Select what engine you want to use for the car, modify aerodynamics and other features of the car to make it your own.