If there is one rally that is unpredictable in the second half of the WRC season, it is the Acropolis Rally, currently taking place on the gravel roads of Greece.
Special Stage 5 also confirmed this characteristic, with an unexpected change at the top of the event. Ott Tanak, winner of the 21.67-kilometer SS5 Dafni 2, found himself in the lead of the rally once he reached the finish line also due to a problem that arose on the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 of Sébastien Ogier.
The Frenchman seemed to be able to comfortably manage his margin over the first of his rivals, but in the last sector of the test he lost almost 20 seconds. 16″7 to be precise, which cost him the lead of the race.
But what worries Ogier most is not having given up the lead, but the extent of the problem that arose during the special. Once he reached the finish line he did not lose his usual expression, but he made it clear how quickly he had to exit the test to understand what the real problem was that made him lose so much time.
Tanak, meanwhile, is grateful but will not be able to rest easy, because if Ogier were to resolve the problems he would only have 5 seconds to make up on the Hyundai Motorsport driver.
In this regard, both Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville have strengthened their respective positions in the standings, although it is reasonable to expect – probably tomorrow – a team effort between the Spaniard and the Belgian to help Neuville take as many points as possible in the fight with Ogier and Tanak for the title.
As for the Constructors’ World Championship, Toyota hopes that Ogier can fix the problem, otherwise a nightmare could come true: that of having three cars outside the points zone, with the Hyundais managing the entire podium.
Nothing new in WRC2, with Yohan Rossel the star. The Frenchman continues to significantly increase his lead over his direct rivals, while Sami Pajari and Nikolay Gryazin seem more concerned with fighting for second place than trying to make a real comeback.
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