EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Gryazin Takes WRC2 Lead

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. 

The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 class after the day. 

SSS1, EKO Super Special Stage

WRC2 championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen claimed the first stage win of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Posting a time 0.4 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin on the stage. Marco Bulicia finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Gryazin. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Bulicia. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Yohan Rossel tied for the fifth fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. 

Canceled Shakedown

Yesterday it was announced the shakedown stage would be canceled for drivers of all classes due to weather. Storms in the region used for EKO Acropolis Rally Greece have been hit hard with storms as of late. Flooding some roads and turning roads into mud with giant puddles in some spots. Drivers are preparing for a weekend of unpredictability. 

What To Expect From Day Two

Day two of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be the first full day of stages. Andreas Mikkelsen is sitting exactly where he wants to be, in the rally lead. Yohan Rossel will need to put in some work to maintain second in the championship. Oliver Solberg is in the same boat as Rossel. Sami Pajari had a poor showing on the opening stage of the event, finishing 14th in class. He will also have some work to do tomorrow and throughout the rest of the event. 

A Correction 

It was said in the WRC2 event preview that Yohan Rossel would not be contesting EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. That was indeed false. I just happened to miss Rossel’s name on the entry sheet. These things happen from time to time, even if I’ve looked at the sheet a dozen or so times. Luckily the mistake was only made on a small thing and not something completely major. 

Driver Comments

*All comments taken from the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Twitter Page (@AcropolisRally)

SS1-#23 Oliver SOLBERG / Elliott EDMONDSON

“Great fun to put on a show for the fans. It’s going to be tough. I had to drive slowly here to take care of the tyres”

SS1-#22 Sami PAJARI / Enni MÄLKÖNEN

“I’m really looking forward to this rally. The weather will be a challenge, but I hope it will be good”

SS1-#21 Yohan ROSSEL / Arnaud DUNAND

“Honestly I’m happy, it’s my favorite rally on gravel. But it’s like Dakar this week!”

SS1-#20 Andreas MIKKELSEN / Torstein ERIKSEN

“I don’t know what to expect. A bit nervous here, because you reminded me [of] the first stage last year.”

The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads the WRC1 class after the day. 

SSS1, EKO Super Special Stage

Kalle Rovanperä claimed the win on the opening stage of the rally. Posting a time 0.3 seconds faster than fellow Fin Esapekka Lappi. Last years event winner Thierry Neuville finished with the third fastest time, 0.1 seconds slower than Lappi. The returning Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the outing, 0.1 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Sordo. 

Canceled Shakedown

Yesterday it was announced the shakedown stage would be canceled for drivers of all classes due to weather. Storms in the region used for EKO Acropolis Rally Greece have been hit hard with storms as of late. Flooding some roads and turning roads into mud with giant puddles in some spots. Drivers are preparing for a weekend of unpredictability. 

What To Expect From Day Two

Day two of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be the first full day of stages. Kalle Rovanperä sits right where he needs to be, in the rally lead. Although Rovanperä doesn’t have the biggest lead heading into the first full day of stages. Just sitting 0.3 seconds ahead of Esapekka Lappi heading into the day. Less than a second separates first and fifth so it’s really anybody’s race heading into the day. It’ll be a test of who gets up to speed the quickest. As without a shakedown drivers aren’t able to make sure their car is completely ready for what’s to come. Expect a push from Elfyn Evans tomorrow, seeing as the championship runner-up sits 2.8 seconds behind Rovanperä heading into the day. 

Driver Comments 

*All comments taken from the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Twitter Page (@AcropolisRally)

SS1-#69 Kalle ROVANPERÄ / Jonne HALTTUNEN

“I have to hope that the conditions are better for me than they are normally in the dry. Opening the road tomorrow will be interesting.”

SS1-#33 Elfyn EVANS / Scott MARTIN

“It’s not going to be easy. I don’t think anybody knows what’s in front of them, so we just have to deal with it as we see it.”

SS1-#11 Thierry NEUVILLE / Martijn WYDAEGHE

“I haven’t felt this good for a long time in the car, so I’m looking forward. There’s a tough rally ahead, but I’m sure we will enjoy it.”

SS1-#8  Ott TÄNAK / Martin JÄRVEOJA

“The priority is a consistent drive, to get the car through with not much drama. That would help after a tough couple of events.”

SS1-#17 Sebástien OGIER / Vincent LANDAIS

“The recce was very challenging, it’s going to be a tough weekend for all of us. I’m happy to be here and I’m looking forward to driving this great car.”

SS1-#4 Esapekka LAPPI / Janne FERM

“I’m not sure if anybody likes the unpredictable conditions. But I’m sure it’s  going to be very entertaining.”

Subaru has one of the most legendary histories in Rally. The manufacturer has recently been linked to a return to the sports top level. 

A Legendary Manufacturer 

Subaru has been absent from WRC competition since 2008. They only pulled out their team due to the financial crisis in 2008. Since then there have been rumours circulating about a potential return. With one rumour from last season mentioning 2003 World Champion Petter Solberg as team principal, and rally icon Ken Block joining suit. Those rumours have never been said to be true. Subaru is probably the most famous manufacturer in WRC history. With drivers such as Colin McRae, Richard Burns, Petter Solberg, Ari Vatanen, and Carlos Sainz among others. The team has held 3 driver’s championships, and 3 manufacturers championship in its history. 

Where Is This Coming From?

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. He spoke to Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda who is also at the event this weekend. The two talked about bringing more manufacturers into the WRC, among other things. But Subaru was mentioned in said conversation. Toyota owns a share in Subaru and will support Subaru if they wish to enter the championship. Subaru currently doesn’t build an engine suitable for the WRC. However, Mr. Toyoda is reported open to the idea of sharing engine technology. 

A Welcomed Return

If Subaru were to return to the WRC they’d be welcomed with open arms by both fans and drivers. As the WRC is in desperate need of more manufacturers for the championship. The WRC currently has 3 manufacturers, those being Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford. However, M-Sport Ford has very little budget compared to Toyota and Hyundai, with both manufacturers being able to spend pretty much whatever they want. Adding another well-funded manufacturer would give drivers more opportunities to drive at the sports top level. 

Who Could Subaru Work With?

Subaru likely will need some help to get back to a full-fledged WRC team, but who could help the team? Toyota will likely help Subaru get their foot in the door and give some tips and such, but it wouldn’t come as much of a shock if they enlisted the help of Vermont Sportscar and Subaru Motorsports USA. Vermont Sportscar is the primary builder of Subaru Motorsports USA’s top-of-the-line rally cars. Something they have done for nearly 2 decades with great success. The team has won basically every championship since 2010, and more before then. With the team hosting drivers like Travis Pastrana, David Higgins, Brandon Semenuk and Ken Block. Vermont Sportscar could give Subaru the building blocks to building a successful WRC car. I mean we are talking about the team that wanted to bring their open-class rally car to the WRC in 2015 but was turned down because the thing was too fast. 

Photography Courtesy Of Motorsport Images and Subaru Motorsports USA

Storms have started to affect how EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be run, and they could possibly lead to the cancellation of the event. 

What’s Going On?

Heavy rain and storms have caused the gravel roads in the regions of Greece that EKO Acropolis Rally Greece uses to turn into mud and puddles. Cars have been getting stuck in said mud during recce. With recce at some points being canceled due to the conditions. Stages 14/15 have been cut short already by 10.77km to just 9km. Stage 15 is the Powerstage so this shortening isn’t just a minor thing. Recce for stage 7/10 will continue on Thursday before Shakedown. Shakedown will see drivers in the Rally1 class run a minimum of once on the stage, as opposed to the normal 3. This isn’t the first nature event to affect EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this season. As teams had their pre-event testing cut short or postponed due to forest fires in the region. From one extreme to the other, the WRC just can’t catch a break in Greece.

Could The Event Be Canceled?

Yes, anything is possible at this point in time. As if the cars are unable to contest the stages the stewards will have no choice but to cancel the tenth round of the championship. That is however a more extreme case. As a WRC round is barely canceled. The only times an event is really canceled is when they can’t do the rally due to fires or other extreme weather conditions. An example of this would be 2019 at Rally Australia. Which is also the last WRC event to be canceled not due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chances are drivers will have to contest the stages of the rally in the conditions that they are in. 

What If It Was Canceled?

The cancellation of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be a major one for the WRC. As it’ll move the championship down from 4 remaining rounds to just 3. With a tight battle between Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans expected to play out throughout the remainder of the season, a canceled event would Harper this battle. As just 25 points separate Rovanperä and Evans, with a potential 120 points available for each driver. If EKO Acropolis Rally Greece is canceled, the potential points drops to 90. It does guarantee the championship can’t be won until the Central European Rally, however. As previously mentioned this would be the first event canceled due to extreme conditions since 2019. The WRC and organizers of the event will do their best to try and make sure the event is run. Even if it is in a condensed format. 

Is There Another Option

Realistically speaking no, it’s either run the event or have it canceled and the championship be a 12-round series. There is one potential that would allow EKO Acropolis Rally Greece to run if it weren’t this weekend, however. As the championship could postpone the event if the organizers were to secure permits to run the event at a later date. There is an issue, however. Permits aren’t easy to get especially to close down the roads needed to run a WRC event. The WRC likely doesn’t have the time to wait for new permits to be approved, especially with Rally Chile Bio Bio being a couple of weeks away. They have limited time to get the rally run and the cars ready to ship over to South America. 

Updates

Shakedown has been canceled due to weather.

The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 10, EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. 

Drivers’ Championship Rundown

Kalle Rovanperä remains in the drivers’ championship lead after crashing out at Secto Rally Finland. Rovanperä now leads the championship by just 25 points over Elfyn Evans. Meaning there isn’t much of a room for error for Rovanperä this weekend. As if he were to retire Evans could tie him or pass him in the championship standings, now wouldn’t that be something. Thierry Neuville who had his championship hope renewed in Finland sits 11 points behind Evans and 36 behind Rovanperä. The championship is realistically a three-horse race. As last season’s runner-up, Ott Tänak sits 30 points behind Neuville and 66 points behind Rovanperä. Although Tänak hasn’t had the greatest luck in either Estonia or Finland. Sebastien Ogier has found a way to remain in the top five although he hasn’t competed since Kenya. Ogier sits just 6 points behind Tänak and 11 ahead of Esapekka Lappi. 

Manufacturers Championship Rundown

As per usual the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team leads the manufacturer’s championship standings, because who else would. Toyota sits 67 points ahead of Hyundai heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Led by Thierry Neuville, Hyundai will have their work cut out for them in Greece and the remaining rounds if they want to stop Toyota from winning another manufacturers championship. M-Sport to put it simply sits last in the championship and can’t win the title. That was expected however as the team only has two drivers eligible to score points at most events. It’s a two-horse race to determine who is the top manufacturer in the WRC.

Team Rundowns

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is probably the most comfortable team heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this weekend. Not really having to worry about either championship. As if Rovanperä makes another rare mistake this weekend, Evans or Ogier can step up to the plate, as they’ve proven they can before. Rovanperä won the event in 2021, and Ogier won it ten years earlier in 2011. The team had a poor showing last season, however. With none of their drivers finishing top 5, the highest was Takamoto Katsuta who finished 6th. Elfyn Evans has also never won a stage in Greece, and retired last season from the event. 

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT

Hyundai is in the middle right now and needs a push from Thierry Neuville to keep their hopes for a championship this season alive. Neuville won the event last season after Sebastien Loeb and Pierre-Louis Loubet retired from the event for M-Sport. The team also swept the podium at the event last season. With Neuville finishing first, Tänak second and Sordo third. This season will likely be different however as Tänak isn’t with the team anymore and Lappi finished 8th in class last season. Sordo also hasn’t been on the same level as last season. As last season Sordo was pretty much a lock for a podium spot, this year has been different for him. 

M-Sport Ford WRT

M-Sport Ford’s best event last season was EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. With both Sebastien Loeb and Pierre-Louis Loubet dominating the opening day. That was until an alternator problem forced Loeb to retire and a puncture forced Loubet out of a chance to win. Loeb won’t be at the event this weekend, Loubet will be, however. Loubet will likely be looking to conquer the event and prove he belongs in a rally1 car. M-Sport also has Ott Tänak who finished second at the event last season. 

The entry list for Rally Chile Bio Bio was announced earlier today, among those entered was WRC2 driver Grégoire Munster in a Rally1 car. 

Munster’s Career Before 2023

Grégoire Munster made his WRC2 debut in 2019 at the Rallye Monte-Carlo in a Sköda Fabia. He ultimately retired from the event on SS11 due to an accident. Munster remained absent from the championship until Rally Finland where he finished 45th overall, and 8th in the WRC2 class. 2020 saw Munster compete at the Rallye Monte-Carlo once again, finishing this time 14th overall and 5th in the WRC2 class. Munster switched to a Hyundai i20 R5 for the remainder of his season. Finishing 11th in class at Rally Estonia and retiring from Rally Monza. In 2021 Munster didn’t compete at Rallye Monte-Carlo instead making his debut at Ypres Rally Belgium, finishing 9th in class at the event. Munster once again competed at Rally Monza, this time finishing 4 in the WRC3 class. I’m 2022 Munster competed at 6 events with Hyundai. Finishing 5th in class at Rallye Monte-Carlo, 25th in class at Croatia Rally, 5th in class at Ypres Rally Belgium, retiring from EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, 12 in class at Rally Catalunya and 1st in class at Rally Japan. 

Munster’s 2023 Season

In 2023 Grégoire Munster joined M-Sport Ford as a WRC2 driver. He made his season debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo where he finished 8th in class. Munster was then absent until Vodafone Rally De Portugal where he finished 27, at the Rally Italia Sardegna he finished 7th in class. He retired from Kenya and finished 9th in class at Secto Rally Finland. Munster will drive for M-Sport this weekend at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Munster also competed Rally Estonia in the WRC Junior Category, winning the class at the event. 

Getting A Chance

Grégoire Munster will get a chance to show what he can do at rally’s top level at Rally Chile Bio Bio. Munster will be given the keys to the Puma Rally1 car that is owned by Jourdan Serderidis. This may be the beginning of a bigger chance for Munster. As Serderidis is retiring from Rally at the end of the season. What will happen with Serderidis’s car is unknown. He could loan it to a driver like Munster and give them a chance to drive it, or he could return the car to M-Sport. If Serderidis were to loan the car to a driver, Munster would likely be the favourite. Given that Munster is getting the chance in the car now. How Munster performs in the car is yet to be determined. However, Munster hasn’t shown much at the WRC2 level. Only winning a single event, and only finishing on the podium once as well. What Serderidis sees in the 24 year old is unknown, but he must see something to be giving him a chance. 

The final round of the WRC Junior Championship final event takes place this weekend at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Let’s take a look at the 2023 championship contenders.

William Creighton, 96 Points

William Creighton sits at the top of the WRC Junior Championship standings. Sitting just 19 points ahead of Laurent Pellier heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. A 29-point advantage isn’t much in the WRC Junior class, as points are awarded for each stage win, as well as event win. Meaning Creighton will have his work cut out for him this weekend. If Creighton wins the championship this weekend he will be just the second driver from Ireland to win the title. The last Irishman to win the title went on to have a decent career in the WRC. That driver was the late Craig Breen who passed away earlier this year. Since then Ireland has been looking for another WRC star. Creighton could be that next big Irish star. 

Laurent Pellier, 67 Points

French drivers who win the WRC Junior Championship tend to go on to have decent careers in Rally. The last Frenchman to win the championship was Quentin Gilbert in 2015. Gilbert didn’t find success in the WRC. Only driving one rally at the top level, which was the 2016 running of Rally Wales GB. Pellier sits 29 points behind Creighton but has a chance to win. Although he has only won 19 stages this season, meaning he will have to hope Creighton has a rough Rally or an issue if he wants a chance to win.

Diego Dominquez, 64 Points

Domiquez has proven to be a strong competitor throughout the season. Although hasn’t taken a win in the junior category this season. He did take home 2 wins in the WRC3 class. Winning both Vodafone Rally Mexico and Safari Rally Kenya. Domiquez beat Canadian Jason Bailey at both events. Dominquez has won just 4 stages in the WRC Junior category, but that hasn’t stopped him from finishing on the podium on 3 different occasions, however. Sitting just 3 points behind Pellier and 32 behind Creighton, Dominquez won’t have an easy time if he wants to win the championship. Needing Creighton to have a poor showing at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece or winning a bunch of stages and the event. 

WRC Junior Event Winners

Rally Sweden- William Creighton

Croatia Rally- Eamonn Kelly

Rally Italia Sardegna- William Creighton

Rally Estonia- Grégoire Munster