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The second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Kalle Rovanperä leads the event after the days six stages.

SS7, Pelun 1

Elfyn Evans kicked off the day with a stage win. As the Welshman set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Kalle a Rovanperä finished third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans and 0.5 seconds slower than Ogier. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak.

SS8, Lota 1

Kalle Rovanperä set the fastest time on the eighth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. As Rovanperä set a time 9.7 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 10.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä and one second slower than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS9, Maria Las Cruces 1

Elfyn Evans capped off the morning loop with his second stage win of the day. As Evans finished eight seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Ott Tänak was third fastest on the stage, 9.3 seconds slower than Evans and 1.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Kalle Rovanperä set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, two seconds slower than Rovanperä.

SS10, Pelun 2

Elfyn Evans took home his third stage win of the day on SS10. As the rally leader set a time 2.3 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to take his fourth stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Evans and one second slower than Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 1.5 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Neuville.

SS11, Lota 2

Thierry Neuville took home his first stage win of the weekend on SS11. With a time five seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä to top the stage. Grégoire Munster finished third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Neuville and 5.3 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Munster. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 7.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS12, Maria Las Cruces 2

Adrien Fourmaux capped off the second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.8 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 9.5 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 8.7 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Evans.

Quotes

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“I must say that we are really satisfied with our performance today. Kalle and Elfyn have been doing an amazing job and driving really well. The conditions have been very tough but they have both shown that if you manage it, you can make big time differences. We’re also really happy with how Sami has been performing. The most important thing for him is to get the experience, so he took it carefully in the fog because feeling the limits of the car is more difficult in such extreme conditions, and that is the right approach for him. It was disappointing for Seb that he had to stop this morning, but he will be back tomorrow and I know his motivation will be high because he’s been driving extremely fast so far this weekend.”

Kalle Rovanperä – 1st Overall

“Overall it’s been a positive day for us. The feeling was definitely better than yesterday. As I expected, the tyre wear was a big factor this morning and on the last stage it was a challenge to keep the pace until the end of the loop. Then we could gain something in the afternoon when the weather got a bit damper and trickier. I would say it was the foggiest conditions I’ve ever driven a rally car in, but we managed it well: we could keep it quite safe and still have good pace. There’s still a long day to go tomorrow and it will be important to secure this one-two for the team and also try to bring as many points as we can from the last day.”

Elfyn Evans – 2nd Overall

“I think we can be pretty pleased with our performance today. We had a good morning loop – maybe just a bit careful on the middle stage managing the tyres. The afternoon was tougher. It started off pretty well in the first stage of the loop but then we hit very bad fog on the second one, where we couldn’t even see the edge of the road. It was very difficult and we lost a lot of time there. We also fitted our soft tyres there and couldn’t really make use of them, whereas Kalle used his on the last one where it was wetter and did a great job to take advantage. That was a bit of a double whammy for us, but overall it’s been going well and we’ll try to carry on the same way tomorrow.”

Sami Pajari – 6th Overall

“Today the stages were more technical and something new for me to learn driving the Rally1 car. The conditions were also really tricky already in the last stage of the morning and especially this afternoon. In SS11 I was expecting some fog but I was surprised just how bad it was. I decided to just try and drive clever in those conditions, as it would be so easy to make a silly mistake because you can only see a few metres in front. Still we could enjoy some sections today: the first stage of the afternoon was really good and the last one was also going better even in damp conditions. The car has been really nice to drive the whole weekend and I’m sure we can have a good feeling again tomorrow.”

Sebastien Ogier – 39th Overall

“With the time we lost yesterday we had to push this morning and starting near the front we knew we would have to face tough conditions. We made a brave tyre choice and I think it was working well. Unfortunately, very close to the end of SS8, there was a rock in my line and we clipped it in the wrong moment when the front of the car was fully loaded under braking, and it damaged the suspension. It’s not what any of us wanted and it’s two rallies in a row where we had amazing speed and we didn’t convert it. It’s frustrating but we’ll be back tomorrow and I hope my team-mates can still bring a strong result for the team.”

Hyundai

François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Technical Director

“A difficult day for the crews out there, but at the end of the day we love rallying because of the extreme conditions. Thierry did exactly what he needed to do today to ensure a good start position for Sunday, so a great day for him with no mistakes. Ott made a small mistake this morning and then was not on the optimal tyre choice for this afternoon, but while we hoped for more he has provisionally scored good points for the manufacturers’ championship. Esapekka had an even more challenging day, losing his front bumper in the first few kilometres which made the car difficult to drive, and while he had an improved setup for the second loop his time penalty dropped his motivation and he saved his tyres for tomorrow. As a team we have to ensure we score as many points as possible, but it is a complicated situation: a mix of pushing to get the maximum, but not pushing too much to risk what we have achieved today. ”

Ott Tänak – 3rd Overall

“We had a good morning loop, despite losing the rear in the low grip conditions and spinning the car – thankfully, everything was fine and no harm done. Our times weren’t very close to the Toyotas today; yesterday was so messy it didn’t show, but today we could see we couldn’t get up to the speed where we needed to be. We expected the complete opposite conditions on those final stages, it was a really tough call. While the drivers’ championship might not be up to us anymore, the manufacturers’ fight is still tight so we definitely need to score as many points as possible tomorrow.

Thierry Neuville – 4th Overall

“I’m definitely pleased with today. We were able to close the gap to the podium as well – which would have been an even better position overnight, but we didn’t force it too much in the last stage. Yesterday was very challenging and didn’t go well, but today we had a clear target of fourth that we achieved very quickly in the morning, so the afternoon was about protecting that. We can’t afford to make mistakes now. We have a better road position for tomorrow, so we need to make sure we benefit from some road cleaning and score as many points as we can.”

Esapekka Lappi – 8th Overall

“The car is back in once piece which is positive, but it was really not enjoyable out there. I was struggling for grip and I don’t understand why – we tried a lot of things but I just couldn’t make them work. It is a shame about our penalty; we had just put the soft tyres on so my motivation afterwards was to not destroy them to save them for tomorrow, so we drove slowly after that. There was also very heavy clouds on both the long stages and the visibility was pretty much non-existent, so I didn’t want to risk anything. We will try and pick ourselves up for tomorrow.”

The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Elfyn Evans leads the event after the day’s six stages.

SS1, Pulperia 1

Sebastien Ogier kicked off the weekend with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 7.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Adrien Fourmaux finished third fastest on the stage, 8.7 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Ott Tänak was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Tänak. As a note the times of Evans, Fourmaux and Pajari were all assigned times after the day’s completion. As SS1 was cancelled shortly after Neuville started the stage due to spectator issues.

SS2, Rere 1

Elfyn Evans topped the second stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 2.3 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 2.9 seconds slower than Evans and 0.6 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Sebastien Ogier was fourth fastest on the stage, one second slower than Pajari. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Ogier.

SS3, San Rosendo 1

Kalle Rovanperä capped off the morning loop with his first stage win of the weekend. As Rovanperä set a time 0.1 seconds faster than Elfyn Evans to take the stage win. Grégoire Munster was third fastest on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä and one second faster than Evans. Adrien Fourmaux finished with the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Munster. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS4, Pulperia 2

Sebastien Ogier took home his second stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio on SS4. With a time 5.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 10.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.6 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth-fastest time on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Evans. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.7 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS5, Rere 2

Sebastien Ogier also topped the fifth stage of the day. As the eight-time champion set a time 0.2 seconds faster than fellow countryman Adrien Fourmaux. Ott Tänak finished fourth fastest on the stage, 1.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 1.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Esapekka Lappi was fourth fastest on the stage, one second slower than Tänak. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Lappi.

SS6, San Rosendo 2

Adrien Fourmaux capped off the first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio with his first stage win of the weekend. Fourmaux finished with a time 1.8 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to top the stage. Elfyn Evans was third fastest on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 0.3 seconds slower than Ogier. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Evans. Kalle Rovanperä rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Pajari.

Driver Quotes

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“Overall it has been a good first day for the team. To be holding positions one, three and four is very good. Seb was the fastest today but unfortunately had to pay a high price for this one mistake. Elfyn drove some really good stages today and this was a very positive start for him after a tough couple of rallies. Kalle doesn’t feel so comfortable in conditions like this, when it’s a hard surface with loose gravel on top, but I believe tomorrow can be better for him. Lastly, Sami had a very consistent day and a good solid performance, which is exactly like we discussed with him before the rally.”

Elfyn Evans – 1st Overall

“The morning was quite short for us after the first stage was cancelled, but it was feeling generally pretty good in the car. The roads were narrow and cambered and quite fast but technical at the same time with a lot of crests and undulations. So they were fun to drive but the grip level was quite low which made it challenging. The afternoon was tougher for us: I maybe didn’t have the best feeling in the first couple of stages, but it was better in the long one to end the day. We’re still in a decent position and hopefully we can improve for tomorrow.”

Kalle Rovanperä – 3rd Overall

“I’m happy to reach the end of the day without losing too much time, considering that I didn’t really have the most comfortable feeling on these roads. The road base is really hard, so you get a bit of a line and some grip here and there, but it’s changing all the time and I have to change my driving a bit to suit this. To be only 10 seconds behind tonight is not so bad: we’re still in the fight and we’ll try to be better tomorrow. The stages are a bit different and there’s going to be new challenges with a lot of tyre management, but hopefully we can have a better feeling.”

Sami Pajari – 4th Overall

“It’s been a really good and clean day for us. The stages were nice to drive but the conditions were also quite tricky: the grip level was changing quite a lot and so was the width of the road, so it was not easy to have a perfect flow. Especially for me without much experience, it was not so easy to judge the speed. But I tried to stay calm and not rush too much and I think we managed to do a really solid job with consistent speed and to be this close to the front is really nice. I feel like I know many places where I can improve but the plan is just to carry on the same way tomorrow.”

Sebastien Ogier – 9th Overall

“It’s been a day of what could have been for us. Once again the speed was there, but this one mistake in the third stage this morning probably ruined our chances for a top result this weekend. It was a mistake in my pacenotes, with a corner that tightened more than I thought, and we hit the bank on the outside which gave us a puncture at the rear. Otherwise it has been fun in the car on these nice roads and this afternoon we tried to enjoy it. Tomorrow could be very tough for us running near the front of the road, but like always we will keep fighting.”

Hyundai Motorsport

François-Xavier Demaison – Hyundai Motorsport Technical Director

“We knew coming here was going to be very tricky for us, with fast and narrow roads that leave no room for mistakes, so we are very happy to be in the position we are today as we weren’t expecting to be leading. Ott found it difficult to find the right rhythm and setup this morning but in service we found a good compromise that enabled him to fight and finish Friday in first. We know the first day of gravel rallies are difficult and frustrating for Thierry opening the road, but he managed to climb the classification which will give him a better road position tomorrow. Esapekka struggled to come back after some time out of the car, but he showed better pace in the afternoon and we are confident he will also gain places tomorrow. As a team, we are staying focused on our target to score points as a priority. It’s still a long rally, but today has been a positive day for our team.”

Ott Tänak – 2nd Overall

“I’m definitely surprised to be leading the rally; all three of us were struggling this morning. It was extremely demanding and I couldn’t find any kind of feeling in the car. It was also quite difficult in the afternoon but both the grip and the car improved – I’m not really feeling as I should at the moment but we are taking the maximum out of it. We’ve been dialling the car after every stage to try and find a better direction, you definitely need a very goof car balance. Tomorrow the characteristic of the roads will be completely different, but we’re expecting more grip and with a much better road position, we should have a better day.”

Thierry Neuville – 6th Overall

“Being first on the road definitely added to a difficult day in general, but I think we were on the wrong setup as otherwise I cannot explain how I was struggling so much. The feeling wasn’t good, and we didn’t have any fun out there today. However, we are only 30 seconds off the lead and 20 seconds behind fourth and fifth, so our target tomorrow must be to chase those positions. With a bit more performance and speed, I honestly believe it should be possible. We will swap the dampers to another set which will give us more traction but less precision and reactivity, but I clearly had no traction today and I was struggling like hell.”

Esapekka Lappi – 7th Overall

“Quite difficult to find the confidence out there today. I think everyone is complaining about grip and how difficult the conditions are and it is no different to me. I also felt our setup was not really optimum for these kind of roads, but we found improvements for the second pass which was working better. Overall, a tricky morning when you’re missing the confidence to really push and you want to avoid a mistake. In the end, I don’t think our pace was too bad – without the tyre delamination we would have been about 20 seconds off the lead. It’s still a long rally to go, so let’s see what we can do.”

*Note the Hyundai post-day quotes were sent out prior to the COC decision to reallocate select SS1 times, hence why Tänak said he leads the event when in actuality he dropped to second after these changes*

The Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 Shakedown stage has come to an end. Esapekka Lappi topped the shakedown stage to kick off the weekend.

Rally1

Esapekka Lappi kicked off the weekend by setting the fastest time on the events shakedown stage. As the Finnish driver set a time 5.6 seconds faster than Martins Sesks. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 6.1 seconds slower than Lappi and 0.5 seconds slower than Sesks. Kalle Rovanperä was fourth fastest, 1.3 seconds slower than Pajari. Two-time Rally Chile winner Ott Tänak rounded out the top five, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Rovanperä.

WRC2

Nikolay Gryazin was the fastest WRC2 driver on the shakedown stage. As the Citroen driver set a time one second faster than Jan Solans. Fabrizio Zaldivar finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 5.1 seconds slower than Gryazin and 4.- seconds slower than Solans. Jorge Martinez was fourth fastest in the WRC2 class, with a time 1.4 seconds slower than Zaldivar. Yohan Rossel rounded out the root vie on the stage, finishing 0.3 seconds slower than Martinez.

Drivers Playing It Safe

It seems a fair few of the Rally1 front-runners took it easy on the shakedown stage, but why? Well, the answer is kind of simple, they want to preserve their tyres. As between shakedown and SS1, there is no area to change tyres. Taking a look at last season, tire management was an issue for seemingly everyone not named Ott Tänak. Drivers are hoping to learn from last year and give themselves as close to fresh tyres for the opening loop tomorrow.

What To Expect From Rally Chile Day One

The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio will see drivers contest 112.76 km across 6 stages. The longest of these stages is the 23.32 km San Rosendo stage which will serve as SS3 and SS6. The shortest stage is the 13.34 km Rere stage, which serves as SS2 and SS5. Drivers will have a little room for error, as there is a 30-minute midday service.

The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. Find out everything you need to know below.

Championship Rundown

Thierry Neuville continues to lead the championship as he has done all season. Neuville sits 34 points ahead of his Hyundai teammate and two-time Rally Chile Bio Bio winner Ott Tänak. Sebastien Ogier is third in the championship after a final-stage retirement last time out in Greece. The eight-time world champion sits 38 points behind Neuville and 4 points behind Tänak. Elfyn Evans sits fourth in the championship, 14 points behind Ogier. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five in the championship. With the Frenchman sitting 10 points behind Evans.

Pajari And Sesks Return

Both Sami Pajari and Martins Sesks will return to Rally1 action this weekend. Pajari is filling in for Takamoto Katsuta who has been given the weekend off the reset for the final two events of the season. While Sesks will once again pilot a hybrid-less M-Sport Puma. Don’t expect a lot out of either driver this weekend. Pajari is using this event to gain more experience for next season. While Sesks is trying to earn a drive for next season.

Itinerary

Friday

Saturday

Day two as per usual is the longest day of the event. As drivers will contest 139.20 km across 6 stages. The day’s longest stage is the 28.31 Maria Las Cruces stage, which serves as SS9 and SS12. The shortest stage is the 15.65 km Pelun stage, which serves as SS7 and SS10. There will once again be a 30-minute midday service so teams can repair any damage accumulated in the morning loop.

Sunday

Super Sunday will see drivers contest the final 54.80 km of the event across the final 4 stages. The longest of the days stages is the 18.62 Laraquete stage which serves as SS13 and SS15. The shortest stage is the Bio Bio stage which serves as SS14 and SS16, and the wolf powerstage. There is no midday service, nor tyre fitting zone for the drivers. As a result, drivers will have to be more watchful about the amount of damage the car takes and how they manage their tyres.

Driver Quotes

Hyundai Motorsport

Cyril Abiteaboul – Team Principal

“While we approach Rally Chile with both optimism and momentum, we are also going into the event with great caution. Greece was a fantastic display of what can be achieved with great team-work, but it is imperative we do not lose focus in the final events of the season. The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid has demonstrated its robustness and reliability at other gravel rallies this season, so we want to end the final event on this surface strongly before our return to tarmac. Every point counts so we need to be at the spearhead of the classification by Saturday evening before we assess how much we need to push on Sunday. We want to protect the advantage we have in all three standings as a priority, but we still want to push for wins and podiums too.”

Thierry Neuville

“Rally Chile is similar to some of the other gravel events we have faced this season, but the stages can vary a lot. We were able to really enjoy the drive last year and finish on the podium to make our weekend even better. We need a lot of traction from the car, particularly with our road position, but it also needs to be resistant to bumpier sections because the risk of punctures in Chile is high. We are going to push through the weekend without trouble and score as many points as possible; our main target is to keep a good lead in the championship. The last three rounds are going to be about managing the gap and Chile is an important event for that. We need to come away with good points before going to the tarmac rounds where we know we can do well.”

Ott Tänak

“The last time we were in Chile, the roads were very abrasive, which was challenging for tyre management but not so hard on the car. At the same time, it was quite demanding for the drivers with a mix of fast and slow sections – similar to Finland. There is a bit of everything in this event, but it’s a driver’s rally – it’s all about performance. Experience is always good, but it’s difficult to take anything forward from our win last year in a new car with a new team. In Chile, the weather can be a tricky element, particularly as we have had a lot of difficult conditions. The car needs to be performing very well and needs to be giving us good confidence. We need to do our maximum and target a win there for sure.”

Esapekka Lappi

“I am feeling prepared for Chile, we did some testing in Finland prior to Acropolis so we have had some important seat time in the car fairly recently. The surface is quite unique: there is a lot of loose gravel, but it can also be abrasive when the road section begins to be cleaned. A good setup and perfect pace notes are crucial to fast times at this event. We need a lot of stability and traction from the car, and because of the crests, corners and banks, it can be hard to see where the road is going. We have seen very different weather conditions here in 2019 and 2023, so we rely even more than usual on the weather team because of the time of year. I am excited to be back in the car and I am hoping to bring a lot of points home for the team.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Jari-Matti Latvala – Team Principal

“The last two rallies have not gone our way in terms of our championship ambitions, but we will not give up the fight. We will keep pushing and focus on winning the last three rounds of the season and doing everything that we can to keep the pressure on. Our team is really motivated to do a good result in Chile and with Elfyn, Seb and Kalle we have a very strong driver line-up to fight for the win. The stages there are generally fast and flowing, which should suit our drivers and our car. The one thing we discovered last year is that the tyre wear can be quite high when it’s dry so we need to pay attention to that. For Sami, this is a chance to build on Finland where he did extremely well, and to see how he feels with the Rally1 car on different terrain and build up his experience. And if everything goes well, those roads could suit him well and we could see another strong performance.”

Sebastien Ogier

“Our challenge in Greece didn’t end in the way we were hoping and the gaps in both championships moved in the wrong direction, but we won’t give up and we’ll keep giving our best in these last three rounds of the season because things can still turn around. I didn’t go to Chile last year, but my memories from 2019 are of a nice event with stages that are enjoyable to drive, as well as a good atmosphere like we often have when we go to South America. So I’m happy to go back there. There will be a mix of some sections I know and some that will be new for me, but I’m never afraid of that challenge. Recently our pace has been pretty strong and we’ve been scoring higher than our rivals on average, and I hope we can carry that on.”

Elfyn Evans

“I really enjoy driving the roads in Chile and I’m looking forward to the event. There’s a bit of a mix in character from day to day: the first is a bit more technical with crests, quite similar to Finland in a way, and then the second is a bit more wide and open, even a little like Wales. It was quite a strong event for us last year in terms of pace at least. We just underestimated how abrasive it would be in the dry conditions, which cost us a chance to challenge for victory, so we need to keep that in mind depending on how the weather is when we get there. After a difficult couple of events for various reasons, we’re definitely looking for a more positive outcome at the end of the weekend.”

Kalle Rovanperä

“We’re going to try and do everything we can to help the team fight back in Chile. The roads there are fast and flowing like in Finland but the characteristics of the gravel and the road base is really different, so managing the tyre wear is the biggest thing, I would say. It was not the easiest event for us last year, but we had the speed at least and together with the team we have tried to learn from that so that we can have a clean weekend and be fighting for the podium places. We had really good pace in the last rallies that we did during the summer in Europe and hopefully we can have a good comfortable feeling from the start of the rally.”

Sami Pajari

“I’m really excited to get back in the Rally1 car in Chile. I hope it can be a really enjoyable event for me. I competed in Chile for the first time last year in WRC2 and the pace was quite good. The roads there are nice and a bit similar to some of the stages in Finland: mostly quite fast and flowing, with of course some specific challenges as well. I’m hoping I can have a similar weekend like in Finland – try to enjoy the driving and get better with every kilometre – and not feel any pressure in terms of the result. The main thing is just to get more experience in this car and all the seat time that I can.”

M-Sport Ford

Rich Millener – Team Principal

“I’m really excited to be heading back to South America for Rally Chile, especially since we are fielding three Rally1 cars there. I’m pleased to have Mārtiņš back with us in the non-hybrid Puma, his performances earlier this season have really made him stand out and I’m looking forward to seeing what he makes of this opportunity.

“Grégoire will benefit from last year’s experience here, and with more time in the car since then he should feel quite comfortable. Hopefully he can hunt for a good result next week after a tricky weekend in Greece.

“Adrien and Alex will be taking on this event for the first time but I strongly believe they are up to the task! They’ve proven their pace on gravel with four podiums on loose surfaces already this season, notably in Finland. I’m excited to see what they can do here.”

Adrien Fourmaux

“It’s going to be all new for me on this event, last year I was back in France commentating for Canal+! It’s nice to be competing in South America, and I’m excited to discover Chile and the rally itself. Looking at the videos it seems to be quite a fast and smooth rally in some stages, but also quite technical in places – it’s not rough like Greece.

“We still want to get our first win so we are going to try again on this final gravel rally of the season!”

Grégoire Munster

“I’m looking forward to Rally Chile as it was our first event with the Rally1 car last year. The surface is quite familiar with some loose gravel, but the tyre wear on the second day is incredibly high so you have that strategic aspect of the tyre choice that makes it very interesting.

“It’s a fast rally, but there are still some very narrow roads up in the mountains, there’s a lot of variety in the stages so it’s quite a nice event.”

Martins Sesks

“Of course it will be a big challenge to go to South America and drive a Rally1 car in Chile for the first time. It will be a great adventure I think, something new again and we’re now trying to prepare for the rally. We’re watching the onboards and seeing similar things to some European rallies.

“It will be a bit harder for us driving the non-hybrid car, but again it’s an opportunity to show some pace without the hybrid, and if we succeed there it’s even better. Our experience from Poland and Latvia in understanding the car will help a lot. It will be a challenge but we’re looking forward to it!”

The third and final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Thierry Neuville held on to take the event win.

SS13, Inohori

Sebastien Ogier kicked off the final day with yet another stage win. Ogier set a time 5.3 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville to take the stage win. Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the stage, 10.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 5.2 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux was fourth fastest on the stage, 10.6 seconds slower than Tänak Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS14, Eleftherohori 1

Sebastien Ogier also took the stage win on the fourteenth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. As the Frenchman finished with a time 2.5 seconds faster than Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans who both tied for second fastest on the stage. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Tänak and Evans. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.7 seconds slower than Katsuta.

SS15, Eleftherohori 2 – Powerstage

Adrien Fourmaux took the stage win on the final stage of the weekend. The Frenchman set a time one second faster than Ott Tänak to take home the powerstage win. Elfyn Evans finished third fastest on the stage, 10.7 seconds slower than Fourmaux and 9.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 6.6 seconds slower than Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 8.4 seconds slower than Neuville.

Ogier Rolls

Sebastien Ogier was destined to take second place this weekend. However, the Frenchman rolled his Toyota Yaris Rally1 on the Powerstage. He was able to get the car back on all four wheels but he quickly fell out of second place and the Super Sunday standings lead. Ogier managed to finish the stage over 22 minutes slower than the stage winner Adrien Fourmaux. That doesn’t matter for Ogier however, as all he has to do is make it back to the service park, why? So he can officially claim his 13 points from the Saturday standings.

The second day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Thierry Neuville took the event lead after a less chaotic day.

SS7, Rengini

Thierry Neuville kicked off the second day with a stage win. As the Belgian set a time 0.2 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to take the stage win. Dani Sordo finished third fastest on the stage, 16.2 seconds slower than Neuville and 16 seconds slower than Ogier. Elfyn Evans was fourth fastest on the stage, 5.3 seconds slower than Sordo. Grégoire Munster rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing two seconds slower than Evans.

SS8, Thiva

Sebastien Ogier took the stage win on the eighth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. With a time 7.4 seconds faster than Dani Sordo. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 10.5 seconds slower than Ogier and 3.1 seconds slower than Sordo. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Neuville. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Evans.

SS9, Aghii Theodori 1

Sebastien Ogier capped off the morning loop with his second stage win of the day. Finishing with a time 5.7 seconds faster than Thierry Neuville. Ott Tänak was third fastest on the stage, 6.2 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.5 seconds slower than Neuville. Elfyn Evans set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmuax rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Evans.

SS10, Loutraki

Ott Tänak topped the tenth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. With a time 2.4 seconds slower than Sebastien Ogier. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 2.6 seconds slower than Tänak and 0.2 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.7 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing three seconds slower than Sordo.

SS11, Aghii Theodori 2

Sebastien Ogier set the fastest time on SS11. With a time 0.5 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to win the stage. Thierry Neuville finished third fastest on the stage, 5.5 seconds slower than Ogier and five seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 5.4 seconds slower than Neuville. Adrien Fourmaux rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.5 seconds slower than Katsuta.

SS12, EKO SSS

Thierry Neuville took home the stage win on the twelfth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. As Neuville set a time 0.4 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier to win the stage. Dani Sordo finished third fastest on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Neuville and 1.9 seconds slower than Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Sordo. Ott Tänak rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Katsuta.

What To Expect From EKO Acropolis Rally Greece Day Three

The third and final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will see drivers contest 54.05 km across 3 stages. The day’s longest stage is the 18.29 km Eleftherohori stage which is run twice as SS14 and SS15 and will be the Wolf Powerstage. The shortest stage is the 17.47 km Inohori stage which opens the day. Takamoto Katsuta will be first on the road once again. Katsuta will be followed by Adrien Fourmaux and Jourdan Serderidis.

The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024 has come to an end. Ott Tänak leads after a chaotic day.

SS1, Ano Pavliani 1

Sebastien Ogier kicked off the weekend with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.6 seconds faster than Ott Tänak to top the opening stage. Adrien Fourmaux was third fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.2 seconds slower than Tänak. Takamoto Katsuta finished fourth fastest on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.6 seconds slower than Katsuta.

SS2, Dafni 2

Takamoto Katsuta took the stage win on the second stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. With a time 1.9 seconds faster than the new rally leader Ott Tänak. Sebastien Ogier finished third fastest on the stage, 3.9 seconds slower than Katsuta and two seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Ogier. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Fourmaux.

SS3, Tarzan 1

Sebastien Ogier regained the rally lead with a stage win on SS3. As the eight-time champion finished with a time 4.9 seconds faster than fellow countryman Adrien Fourmaux. Dani Sordo was third fastest on the stage, 9.1 seconds slower than Ogier and 4.2 seconds slower than Fourmaux. Ott Tänak set the third fastest time on the stage, 2.1 seconds slower than Sordo. Thierry Neuville rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.4 seconds slower than Tänak.

SS4, Ano Panvliani 2

Sebastien Ogier also took the stage win on the fourth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. With a time 1.9 seconds faster than Ott Tänak. Dani Sordo finished third fastest on the stage, 10.3 seconds slower than Ogier and 8.4 seconds slower than Tänak. Grégoire Munster set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Sordo. Dani Sordo rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Munster.

SS5, Dafni 2

Ott Tänak reclaimed the event lead with a stage win on SS5. As Tänak set a time 4.5 seconds faster than Dani Sordo. Grégoire Munster finished third fastest on the stage, 6.2 seconds slower than Tänak and 1.7 seconds slower than Sordo. Thierry Neuville was fourth fastest on the stage, 3.2 seconds slower than Munster. Elfyn Evans rounded out the top five on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Neuville.

SS6, Tarzan 2

Thierry Neuville capped off the first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece with his first stage win of the weekend. As the championship leader finished with a time 0.7 seconds faster than Dani Sordo. Ott Tänak was third fastest on the stage, 1.4 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.7 seconds slower than Sordo. WRC2 driver Robert Virves set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 20.2 seconds slower than Tänak. WRC2 driver Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 11.1 seconds slower than Virves.

Narrowing Down The Field

Two of the Toyota Rally1 cars suffered turbo issues on the first day. Elfyn Evans had the issue on SS1, after already losing time due to a puncture. While Sebastien Ogier who was fighting for the event win had issues on SS6, the final stage of the day. Which put him out of the running for the win. However, he will still likely take home good points as everyone else who isn’t named Ott Tänak, Dani Sordo and Grégoire Munster has had issues. Takamoto Katsuta retired on SS3 after clipping a rock and losing a wheel. Adrien Fourmaux met his demise just one stage later on SS4 when he broke his front right suspension. Neuville had issues all morning for the most part. Claiming he was running on three cylinders for parts.

What To Expect From EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024 Day Two

The second day will see drivers contest 116.23 km across another six stages. The day’s longest stage is the 28.67 Rengini stage which serves as the day’s open stage and is only run once. The shortest stage is the 1.97 km EKO SSS stage, which will end the day off. Drivers will have to be cautious as there is no midday service. The day ends with a 45-minute service so teams can prepare the cars for the final day of action. Takamoto Katsuta is first on the road followed by Adrien Fourmaux and Jourdan Serderidis.

The EKO Acropolis Rally Greece shakedown has come to an end. Thierry Neuville topped the shakedown stage.

Rally1

Thierry Neuville kicked off the weekend by setting the fastest time on the shakedown stage. Neuville set a time 0.9 seconds faster than Takamoto Katsuta to top the shakedown. Ott Tänak finished with the third fastest time, 1.5 seconds slower than Neuville and 0.6 seconds slower than Katsuta. Dani Sordo was fourth fastest on the shakedown stage, finishing with a time 0.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Adrien Fourmuax rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Sordo.

WRC2

Gus Greensmith topped the shakedown stage in the WRC2 class. As the British driver set a time 1.7 seconds faster than Robert Virves. Yohan Rossel was third fastest on the stage, two seconds slower than Greensmith and 03 seconds slower than Virves. Georg Linnamäe finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Pierre-Louis Loubet, who nearly won the event a few years ago, rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage. As Loubet finished with a time 0.9 seconds slower than Linnamäe.

What To Expect From Day One

The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will see drivers’ contest 135.02 km across six stages. With the longest of these stages is the 23.37 km Tarzan stage which will end each loop. While the shortest is the 21.67 km Dafni stage, which is the second stage on each loop. The day features one 30-minute service between loops and a 45-minute service to end the day. Thierry Neuville will be first on the road followed by Sebastian Ogier and Ott Tänak. Drivers are in for a rough event. As no rain is on the forecast which means the roads will be dry and as a result rougher for the drivers. Ogier expects this to be the roughest Acropolis in years. Only time will tell how rough the road is on the cars. Hopefully, it doesn’t get to the point where multiple drivers retire due to the conditions destroying the cars.

The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 10, EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.

Championship Rundown

Oliver Solberg leads the WRC2 championship heading into EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. As the Swede holds a 28-point lead over Sami Pajari. Yohan Rossel is third in the championship, 12 points behind Pajari. Lauri Joona sits fourth in the championship, 13 points behind Rossel. Jan Solans and Nikolay Grayzin tie for fifth in the championship, with both sitting 10 points behind Joona.

Solberg will be absent from Greece this weekend. Meaning this is the perfect opportunity for Pajari and Rossel to take points off of Solberg. Solberg will retain the championship lead after this weekend. However, that lead could be cut to three points after all is said and done. After this weekend both Solberg and Pajari will have contested 6-point scoring events. Rossel will have only completed 5 of his 7 rounds. Joona is out of the running for the championship as after this weekend he will have completed all 7 point-scoring rounds. Grayzin will have competed in four of the seven rounds, while Solans will have completed five. In short, Rossel is the favourite to take home the championship. As he still has two rounds to score points after this weekend. However, only one will count towards the championship. He will be doing Rally Chile BioBio at the end of the month. Then Rossel will likely do the Central European Rally. Solberg will be using Chile as his final point-scoring round. While Pajari will be absent. Likely choosing to use Japan for his final point-scoring round.

Itinerary

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with round 10, EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.

Championship Rundown

Thierry Neuville still leads the championship as he has since Monte Carlo. The Belgian takes a 27-point lead over Sebastien Ogier into the Acropolis. Ott Tänak sits third in the championship, 31 points behind Neuville and 4 behind Ogier. Elfyn Evans is fourth in the championship. With the Welshman sitting 5 points behind Tänak. Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the championship top five, 23 points down from Evans.

It should be a good battle between Neuville and Ogier at the legendary event. However, they won’t be the only ones hoping for good results this weekend. As this weekend is also the last true chance for Tänak and Evans to get back into the fight. As with three rounds left after Greece, only it will be hard for either to get back into the battle unless Neuville and Ogier each have a bad event down the road. For Tänak and Evans, it’s a bad event to have as your last hope. This is a result of Greece being a rough and unforgiving event. Arguably more unforgiving than the Safari Rally.