The Central European Rally 2024 shakedown stage has come to an end. Ott Tänak and Miko Marczyk topped the stage in their respective classes.
Rally1
Ott Tänak topped the Central European Rally 2024 shakedown stage with a time 0.2 seconds faster than Sebastien Ogier. Takamoto Katsuta finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Ogier and 0.3 seconds slower than Tänak. Thierry Neuville set the fourth fastest time, 0.4 seconds slower than Katsuta. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, with a time 0.1 seconds slower than the reigning event winner Thierry Neuville.
WRC2
Miko Marczyk took home the fastest time in the WRC2 class. With a time 0.2 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Rossel and 0.9 seconds slower than Marczyk. William Creighton set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Gryazin. Maxime Potty rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.9 seconds slower than Creighton.
What To Expect From Central European Rally Day One
The first day of the Central European Rally 2024 kicks off with two stages totalling to 14.33 km. Thierry Neuville will be first on the road for the Rally1 drivers, followed by Ott Tänak and Sebastien Ogier. For the first time since Croatia being first on the road is an advantage for Neuville. As he will get the cleanest road and not have any debris on the road for the first pass of each stage. This is great for the Belgian as he can take home the championship this weekend. However, that inquires fending off Ott Tänak who will also get a decently clean road. As far as WRC2 goes, Filip Mares will be first on the road due to him being a local driver. Mares will start before all the Rally1 cars and be followed by Marijan Griebel.
The 2024 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with Round 11 the Central European Rally.
Championship Rundown
Oliver Solberg leads the WRC2 championship heading into the Central European Rally. As the Swede holds a 12-point lead over Yohan Rossel*. Solberg will be attending the event this weekend as will Rossel. However, Solberg is out of point-scoring rounds meaning he can’t score any points for the championship this weekend. Rossel on the other hand can, however, this is his final point-scoring round. Sami Pajari is third in the championship, 3 points behind Rossel and 15 behind Solberg. Pajari is not competing in the WRC2 class this weekend. Nikolay Gryazin is fourth in the championship, 42 points behind Pajari and is out of championship contention. Lauri Joona is also out of championship contention as he sits fifth 8 points behind Gryazin.
Event Rundown
Day One
The first day of the Central European Rally 2024 kicks off with two stages totalling to 14.33 km.
Day Two
The first full day of the event will see drivers contest 110.64 km across 6 stages. With the longest being the 26.69 km Strašin stage which serves as stages 4 and 7. The shortest stage is the 11.78 Klatovy stage which serves as stages 3 and 6. The day features a 30-minute midday remote service zone.
Day Three
As per usual the third day of an event is the longest. As the third day of the Central European Rally 2024 will see drivers contest 123.46 km across 6 stages. With the longest stage being the 24.33 km Beyond Borders stage which serves as stages 10 and 13. The shortest is the 17.35 km Schärdinger Innviertel stage which serves as stages 11 and 14.
Day Four
The fourth and final day of the event will see drivers contest 54.08 across 4 stages. The longest stage is the 14.87 km Passauer Land stage which serves as stages 16 and 18. The shortest stage is the 12.17 km Knaus Tabbert Am Hochwald stage which serves as stages 15 and 17.
The third and final day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Yohan Rossel held on to take the event win.
SS13, Laraquete 1
Oliver Solberg kicked off the final day with a stage win. As the Swede set a time 14.1 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin. Gus Greenmsith finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 16.2 seconds slower than Solberg and 2.1 seconds slower than Gryazin. Yohan Rossel was fourth fastest on the stage, two seconds slower than Greenmsith. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 8.6 seconds slower than Rossel.
SS14, Bio Bio 1
Oliver Solberg also took the stage win on SS14 of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 5.6 seconds faster than Jan Solans. Gus Greensmith finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 6.9 seconds slower than Solberg and 1.3 seconds slower than Solans. Yohan Rossel set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.5 seconds slower than Greensmith. Jorge Martinez and Nikolay Gryazin tied for fifth fastest on the stage. With both drivers finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Rossel.
SS15, Laraquete 2
Oliver Solberg also took home the stage win on SS15. With a time 6.5 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith. Jan Solans finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 10 seconds slower than Solberg and 3.5 seconds slower than Greensmith. Yohan Rossel was fourth fastest on the stage, 4.2 seconds slower than Solans. Fabrizio Zaldivar rounded out the top five on the stage, 6.7 seconds slower than Rossel.
SS16, Bio Bio 2 Wolf Powerstage
Oliver Solberg capped off Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 with a stage win. As the Swede set a time 0.3 seconds faster than Jan Solans. Jorge Martinez finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 5.3 seconds slower than Solberg and 5 seconds slower than Solans. Yohan Rossel was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower run Martinez. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.10 seconds slower than Rossel.
The second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Yohan Rossel leads the WRC2 class after the day.
SS7, Pelun 1
Yohan Rossel kicked off the day with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.6 seconds faster than Jan Solans to top the stage. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Rossel and 2.5 seconds slower than Solans. Oliver Solberg was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Greensmith. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 6.7 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS8, Lota 1
Jan Solans took home his first stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 5.5 seconds faster than championship leader Oliver Solberg. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 8.3 seconds slower than Solans and 2.8 seconds slower than Solberg. Nikolay Gryazin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.9 seconds slower than Gryazin.
SS9, Maria Las Cruces 1
Oliver Solberg capped off the morning loop with his first stage win of the day. As the Swede set a time 5.6 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to take the stage win. Gus Greensmith finished with the third fastest time on the stage, 9.6 seconds slower than Solberg and four seconds slower than Rossel. Nikolay Gryazin was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Greenmsith. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, 4.1 seconds slower than Gryazin.
SS10, Pelun 2
Jan Solans took home his second stage win of the day on the tenth stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. As the Spaniard set a time 2.1 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg. Yohan Rossel finished with the third fastest on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Solans and 0.1 seconds slower than Solberg. Gus Greensmith was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Rossel. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing two seconds slower than Greensmith.
SS11, Lota 2
Nikolay Gryazin topped the second day’s penultimate stage. With a time 2.6 seconds faster than Jan Solans. Yohan Rossel finished with the third fastest on the stage, 5.5 seconds slower than Gryazin and 2.9 seconds slower than Solans. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Kajetan Kajetanwoicz rounded out the top five times on the stage, finishing 18.9 seconds slower than Greensmith.
SS12, Maria Las Cruces 2
Oliver Solberg capped off the second day of Rally Chile Bio Bio with a stage win. As the Swede set a time 10.5 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to top the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished with the third fastest on the stage, 23.4 seconds slower than Solberg and 12.9 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Gryazin. Alberto Heller rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 17.5 seconds slower than Greensmith.
The first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 has come to an end. Nikolay Gryazin leads the WRC2 class after the day’s six stages.
SS1, Pulperia 1
All WRC2 drivers were given the same times due to the stage being cancelled.
SS2, Rere 1
Nikolay Gryazin took home the stage win on the second stage of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. With a time 1.7 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith. Jan Solans finished third fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Gryazin and 2.9 seconds slower than Greenmsith. Oliver Solberg set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Solans. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.5 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS3, San Rosendo 1
Nikolay Gryazin capped off the morning loop with his second stage win of the weekend. As the Citroen driver finished 6.1 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg. Gus Greensmith was third fastest on the stage 6.3 seconds slower than Gryazin and 0.2 seconds slower than Solberg. Yohan Rossel set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.3 seconds slower than Greensmtih. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.2 seconds slower than Rossel.
SS4, Pulperia 2
Gus Greensmith took home his first stage win of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 on SS4. With a time 3.1 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Greensmith and 0.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Oliver Solberg set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 5.9 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS5, Rere 2
Gus Greensmith also set the fastest time on SS5. As the British driver set a time 1.6 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to top the stage. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 2.4 seconds slower than Greenmsith and 0.8 seconds slower than Gryazin. Oliver Solberg was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Rossel. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.9 seconds slower than Solberg.
SS6, San Rosendo 2
Oliver Solberg capped off the first day of Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024 with his first stage win of the weekend. As the Swede set a time 0.2 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 3.7 seconds slower than Solberg and 3.5 seconds slower than Rossel. Jan Solans was fourth fastest on the stage, 2.7 seconds slower than Gryazin. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 4.7 seconds slower than Solans.
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 round 11 Rally Chile Bio Bio 2024. Find out all you need to know below.
Championship Rundown
Oliver Solberg leads the WRC2 championship heading into this weekend. Solberg holds a 3-point lead over Sami Pajari heading into the event. Pajari is participating in the event this weekend, however, not in a WRC2 car. As the Finnish driver will pilot the fourth Rally1 Yaris for Toyota this weekend. This makes Yohan Rossel who sits third in the championship Solberg’s biggest competitor. Rossel sits 25 points behind Solberg and 22 points behind Pajari. Solberg is contesting his final points round of the season, while Pajari still has one round left, and Rossel will have one left after this weekend. Lauri Joona is fourth in the championship, 28 points behind Rossel and will not be attending this weekend and has also used all his point-scoring rounds. Jan Solans rounds out the championship top five, sitting 6 points behind Joona.
Itinerary
Friday
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.
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.
The third and final day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024 has come to an end. Sami Pajari took home the event win.
SS13, Inohori
Nikolay Grayzin took home the stage win on the opening stage of the day. With a time 2.6 seconds faster than Lauri Joona. Sami Pajari finished third fastest on the stage, 3.9 seconds slower than Gryazin and 1.3 seconds slower than Joona. Yohan Rossel set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.9 seconds slower than Pajari. Fabrizio Zaldivar rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.4 seconds slower than Rossel.
SS14, Eleftherohori 1
Yohan Rossel took home the stage win on the fourteenth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. As the Frenchman set a time 2.3 seconds faster than Robert Virves to top the stage. Fabrizio Zaldviar finished third fastest on the stage, 4.4 seconds slower than Rossel and 2.1 seconds slower than Virves. Sami Pajari was fourth fastest on the stage, 7.9 seconds slower than Zaldivar. Josh McErlean rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 10.5 seconds slower than Pajari.
SS15, Eleftherohori 2 – Powerstage
Robert Virves took home the stage win on the final stage win of the weekend. With a time 13.5 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to take the stage win. Josh McErlean finished third fastest on the stage, 26.6 seconds slower than Virves and 13.1 seconds slower than Rossel. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.9 seconds slower than McErlean. Fabrizio Zaldivar rounded out the top five on the stage, 12.3 seconds slower than Pajari.
Pajari and Virves Tie
Sami Pajari and Robert Virves managed to somehow end with the same time after 15 stages of competition. Sami Pajari is named the class winner for the event as he won SS1. Pajari looked guaranteed for the win heading into SS15, but a puncture in the stage changed that slightly. As Pajari lost every bit of his 28.5-second lead over Robert Virves. Virves was a man on a mission in SS15.
The second day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has come to an end. Sami Pajari took the class lead after the day.
SS7, Rengini
Yohan Rossel kicked off the second day with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 0.5 seconds faster than Robert Virves and Sami Pajari who tied for the second-fastest time on the stage. Georg Linnamäe and Jan Solans tied for the fourth fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 3.1 seconds slower than Rossel and 2.6 seconds slower than Virves and Pajari.
SS8, Thiva
Yohan Rossel also took the stage win on the eighth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. With a time 7.8 seconds faster than Georg Linnamäe. Lauri Joona and Robert Virves tied for the third fastest time on the stage, with both drivers finishing 10 seconds slower than Rossel and 2.2 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Joona and Virves.
SS9, Aghii Theodori 1
Sami Pajari capped off the morning loop with his first stage win of the day. As the Toyota driver finished 0.9 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel. Lauri Joona was third fastest on the stage, 7.1 seconds slower than Pajari and 6.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Georg Linnamäe tied for the fourth fastest time on the stage, with both finishing 6.2 seconds slower than Joona.
SS10, Loutraki
Yohan Rossel was back to his winning ways on the tenth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. As Rossel set a time 1.6 seconds faster than Lauri Joona to take the stage win. Sami Pajari was third fastest on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Rossel and 0.2 seconds slower than Joona. Georg Linnamäe finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Pajari. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.3 seconds slower than Linnamäe.
SS11, Aghii Theodori 2
Yohan Rossel also took home the stage win on SS11. With a time 5.4 seconds faster than championship rival Sami Pajari. Georg Linnamäe finished third fastest on the stage, 8.1 seconds slower than Rossel and 2.7 seconds slower than Pajari. Robert Virves set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.4 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Jan Solans rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Virves.
SS12, EKO SSS
Kajetan Kajetanowicz took home the stage win on the twelfth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. As Kajetanowicz set a time 0.5 seconds faster than Roberto Daprà and Yohan Rossel who tied for the second-fastest time on the stage. Robert Virves finished fourth fastest on the stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Darpà and Rossel. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.4 seconds slower than Virves.
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.
The first day of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024 has come to an end. Robert Virves leads the WRC2 class after the day.
SS1, Ano Pavliani 1
Yohan Rossel kicked off the weekend with a stage win. As the Frenchman set a time 7.6 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to win the stage. Nikolay Gryazin was third fastest on the stage, 13.3 seconds slower than Rossel and 5.7 seconds slower than Pajari. Lauri Joona finished fourth fastest on the stage, 3.4 seconds slower than Gryazin. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, 1.6 seconds slower than Joona.
SS2, Dafni 2
Yohan Rossel also took the stage win on the stage second stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. With a time 3.4 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith. Lauri Joona finished third fastest on the stage, 6.8 seconds slower than Rossel, and 3.4 seconds slower than Greensmith. Fabrizio Zaldivar set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Joona. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Zaldivar.
SS3, Tarzan 1
Yohan Rossel completed the sweep of the morning loop after taking the stage win on SS3. Rossel set a time 8.4 seconds faster than both Sami Pajari and Gus Greensmith, who tied for second, to top the stage. Robert Virves finished fourth fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Pajari and Greensmith. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 10.1 seconds slower than Virves.
SS4, Ano Panvliani 2
Yohan Rossel continued his dominance on the fourth stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2024. As the class leader finished with a time 0.1 seconds faster than Robert Virves to take the stage win. Georg Linnamäe was third fastest on the stage, 3.6 seconds slower than Rossel and 3.5 seconds slower than Virves. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.7 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five, finishing 0.6 seconds slower than Greenmsith.
SS5, Dafni 2
Yohan Rossel also took the stage win on SS5. As Rossel set a time 4.2 seconds faster than Robert Virves. Georg Linnamäe finished third fastest on the stage, 8.5 seconds slower than Rossel and 4.3 seconds slower than Virves. Sami Pajari was fourth fastest on the stage, 4.1 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Gus Greenmsith rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.2 seconds slower than Pajari.
SS6, Tarzan 2
Yohan Rossel’s dominance came to an end on SS6. As Robert Virves took the stage win and class lead. As he finished the stage with a time 11.1 seconds faster than Sami Pajari. Georg Linnamäe set the third fastest time on the stage, 17.2 seconds slower than Virves and 6.1 seconds slower than Pajari. Jan Solans was fourth fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Linnamäe. Kajetan Kajetanwoicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.1 seconds slower than Solans.
A Smaller Playing Field
Pierre-Louis Loubet, who challenged for the event win back in 2022 continued his streak of misfortune this weekend. As the Frenchman had an accident on the events opening stage. Lauri Joona retired on SS5 with a mechanical. Gus Greenmsith retired with a mechanical after hitting a cow. Don’t worry the cow was fine according to Gus. However, Greensmith’s Škoda Fabia Rally2 was not alright after the altercation. Rossel suffered a puncture on SS6, which dropped him to sixth in class.
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.