Acropolis Rally
Sunday's itinerary forced crews into unfamiliar territory, while also welcoming back some that they knew very well. Two loops of the brand-new Smokovo (SS14/16, 26.16km) and the unforgiving Tarzan (SS15/17, 23.37km) formed the final day's tests.
Tänak barely faltered across the entire weekend, and his Sunday efforts were no different. The Estonian headed into the final day with a 43.6 second advantage over the rest of the field. A pitch-perfect performance on the morning loop saw Tänak power to two stage wins in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, as well as the top of the Super Sunday standings, however Acropolis Rally is never plain sailing.
A gearbox issue emerged on the Power Stage, forcing the Estonian to carefully manage the final test of the day in a nail-biting finish to what had been a dominant run to his first victory of 2025. Tänak departs Greece having scored eight stage wins and moved up to third in the drivers' standings, a mere 12 points away from the top spot.
A considered performance from Fourmaux allowed the Frenchman to consolidate his second podium finish of the season for Hyundai Motorsport. There were no issues for him as he carefully navigated Sunday's stages, remaining unphased even when dropping time across the morning loop. His thirdplace finish marks the best result for the Frenchman since Rallye Monte-Carlo, adding another 17 points to his championship tally and signalling a return to form after a disappointing Rally Italia Sardegna.
Having seen punctures deflate their first two days of competition, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were on a mission for a redemptive Super Sunday. A valiant effort on SS14 was hampered by a broken damper on SS15, but the Belgians returned determined to mount the strongest attack possible across the afternoon's tests. Disaster struck on the penultimate stage, when Neuville encountered an electrical issue and lost over a minute. Neuville came back on Tarzan to claim an additional three Power Stage points and maintain his fifth-place spot in the championship.
WRC action returns in the Baltics, where Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team will contest Tänak's home event: Rally Estonia.
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
• Crew claims first win of 2025 at one of the WRC's most testing events
• Estonians move up to third in the championship standings
Tänak said: 'It was a great weekend but it was also incredibly demanding. The temperatures and the length of the rally were massive obstacles, but we were very happy to put a winning package together, keep the tyres alive and demonstrate our performance. Since Saturday morning we were able to control the pace, I felt good in the car and it was working really well in these conditions. We avoided punctures all weekend by pushing in the sections with minimal risk and holding back in the rougher places, and that was the key. Overall, we are very happy to claim our first win at Acropolis in these conditions.'
Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
• Frenchmen claim second podium with Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
• Crew end Acropolis Rally with their best-ever result at the event
Fourmaux said: 'This was one of the toughest Acropolis Rallies I've ever competed in. Temperatures were really high and the ground was super abrasive with a lot of loose rocks. We saw a lot of punctures during the rally, but we managed to stay away with minimal tyre damage. I'm pleased to finish on the podium, we were fighting for second but after the issue we had yesterday that fight was over. Securing third was really important to us and we managed to do it, so I'm pleased with the weekend overall.'
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)
• Belgians' frustrating weekend ends with 13-point haul
• Crew finished third on Power Stage
Neuville said: 'I'm leaving Greece with a solid points haul, but it's not the weekend I wanted. I had three punctures, and from then on we faced other issues with the car that didn't help our final efforts today. All in all, we had lots of trouble, but we were able to fix the car for the Power Stage and finish that third fastest. I want to target a podium finish and some big points in Estonia; it's not my favourite surface, but we've performed well there in the past, so let's see.'
Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: 'Extreme heat, very long days, lots of punctures and mechanical issues: we tamed them all to come out on top of this scorching Acropolis Rally, with Ott demonstrating an amazing drive all weekend. He showed the true pace of the car and he had the right mindset to navigate around the many challenges and emerge on top in a weekend made especially difficult by the very challenging season so far. It's our first win of the season, and that is reflective of the whole team's efforts to make it happen – and we did it at a notoriously challenging rally. Adrien and Thierry were also contenders for very strong weekends, but various setbacks put them further down the overall classification. It's great to see Adrien back on the podium, he showed his maturity and his ability to contribute to the team's target. We look forward to seeing Thierry in better circumstances as soon as Rally Estonia.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Bawaba
5 days ago
- Al Bawaba
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Clinches Historic 1–2–3–4–5 Finish at Rally Finland
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) achieved a sensational result at Rally Finland, completing a remarkable clean sweep of the top five positions. Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen, secured their first victory on their home turf in spectacular fashion, leading an unprecedented 1-2-3-4-5 finish for dominant performance by the No. 69 GR YARIS Rally1 crew saw them command the event from the very first forest stage. Rovanperä's victory also set a new record for the fastest rally in FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) history, maintaining an average speed of 129.95kph across four days of flat-out Toyoda, TGR-WRT Chairman, commented: 'Congratulations to all the crews for this 1-2-3-4-5 finish! We were able to return the favour to the people of our hometown, Jyväskylä, with this fantastic result. I really appreciate everyone in the team for making this happen!'Toyoda added: 'Congratulations to Kalle and Jonne on their first victory in their home country! I'm truly happy that they were finally able to show the winning trophy to the local fans. Congratulations to the local heroes! There are five more rallies left this season, and we will work together as a team to build cars that let our drivers enjoy driving more than ever before!'The No. 18 crew of Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston secured a strong second place, marking Katsuta's second podium finish in the last three editions of Rally Finland. The pair delivered a consistently fast and error-free performance to finish 39.2 seconds behind the winners.Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais rounded out the podium in third place, with the No. 17 GR YARIS Rally1, after a closely fought battle with teammates Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin, who finished fourth. Evans' solid performance also elevated him back into the lead of the drivers' championship standings with 176 points, closely followed by Rovanperä and Ogier with 173 and 163 points, the historic Toyota lockout was local rising star Sami Pajari and co-driver Marko Salminen, who claimed fifth overall with an impressive performance that included three stage wins and a composed, mature drive throughout the remarkable result represents only the second time in WRC history that a single manufacturer has occupied all top five positions, an achievement not seen since 1990. With its eighth victory in nine rallies this season, Toyota further extends its commanding lead in the manufacturers' championship by 87 points, with a staggering total of 458 on the the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota's participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR, to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota's belief that 'the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,' TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota's commitment to making 'ever-better' cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to next round of the 2025 FIA WRC is Rally Paraguay, taking place from 28–31 August, marking the championship's first-ever visit to the South American nation, followed by Rally Chile a fortnight Notes:• No. 69 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen)• Position: 1st• Time: 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 51.4 seconds• No. 18 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston)• Position: 2nd• Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 30.6 seconds• No. 17 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais)• Position: 3rd• Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 36.5 seconds• No. 33 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin)• Position: 4th• Time: 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 39.5 seconds• No. 5 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen)• Position: 5th • Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes, and 10.2 seconds
Al Bawaba
6 days ago
- Al Bawaba
Acropolis Rally
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team's Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja have claimed their long-awaited first victory of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season in spectacular fashion at Acropolis Rally. Team-mates Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria confirmed a well-earned third place to bring home the team's second double podium of the year so far. Sunday's itinerary forced crews into unfamiliar territory, while also welcoming back some that they knew very well. Two loops of the brand-new Smokovo (SS14/16, 26.16km) and the unforgiving Tarzan (SS15/17, 23.37km) formed the final day's tests. Tänak barely faltered across the entire weekend, and his Sunday efforts were no different. The Estonian headed into the final day with a 43.6 second advantage over the rest of the field. A pitch-perfect performance on the morning loop saw Tänak power to two stage wins in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, as well as the top of the Super Sunday standings, however Acropolis Rally is never plain sailing. A gearbox issue emerged on the Power Stage, forcing the Estonian to carefully manage the final test of the day in a nail-biting finish to what had been a dominant run to his first victory of 2025. Tänak departs Greece having scored eight stage wins and moved up to third in the drivers' standings, a mere 12 points away from the top spot. A considered performance from Fourmaux allowed the Frenchman to consolidate his second podium finish of the season for Hyundai Motorsport. There were no issues for him as he carefully navigated Sunday's stages, remaining unphased even when dropping time across the morning loop. His thirdplace finish marks the best result for the Frenchman since Rallye Monte-Carlo, adding another 17 points to his championship tally and signalling a return to form after a disappointing Rally Italia Sardegna. Having seen punctures deflate their first two days of competition, Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were on a mission for a redemptive Super Sunday. A valiant effort on SS14 was hampered by a broken damper on SS15, but the Belgians returned determined to mount the strongest attack possible across the afternoon's tests. Disaster struck on the penultimate stage, when Neuville encountered an electrical issue and lost over a minute. Neuville came back on Tarzan to claim an additional three Power Stage points and maintain his fifth-place spot in the championship. WRC action returns in the Baltics, where Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team will contest Tänak's home event: Rally Estonia. Crew Notes: Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) • Crew claims first win of 2025 at one of the WRC's most testing events • Estonians move up to third in the championship standings Tänak said: 'It was a great weekend but it was also incredibly demanding. The temperatures and the length of the rally were massive obstacles, but we were very happy to put a winning package together, keep the tyres alive and demonstrate our performance. Since Saturday morning we were able to control the pace, I felt good in the car and it was working really well in these conditions. We avoided punctures all weekend by pushing in the sections with minimal risk and holding back in the rougher places, and that was the key. Overall, we are very happy to claim our first win at Acropolis in these conditions.' Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) • Frenchmen claim second podium with Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team • Crew end Acropolis Rally with their best-ever result at the event Fourmaux said: 'This was one of the toughest Acropolis Rallies I've ever competed in. Temperatures were really high and the ground was super abrasive with a lot of loose rocks. We saw a lot of punctures during the rally, but we managed to stay away with minimal tyre damage. I'm pleased to finish on the podium, we were fighting for second but after the issue we had yesterday that fight was over. Securing third was really important to us and we managed to do it, so I'm pleased with the weekend overall.' Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1) • Belgians' frustrating weekend ends with 13-point haul • Crew finished third on Power Stage Neuville said: 'I'm leaving Greece with a solid points haul, but it's not the weekend I wanted. I had three punctures, and from then on we faced other issues with the car that didn't help our final efforts today. All in all, we had lots of trouble, but we were able to fix the car for the Power Stage and finish that third fastest. I want to target a podium finish and some big points in Estonia; it's not my favourite surface, but we've performed well there in the past, so let's see.' Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: 'Extreme heat, very long days, lots of punctures and mechanical issues: we tamed them all to come out on top of this scorching Acropolis Rally, with Ott demonstrating an amazing drive all weekend. He showed the true pace of the car and he had the right mindset to navigate around the many challenges and emerge on top in a weekend made especially difficult by the very challenging season so far. It's our first win of the season, and that is reflective of the whole team's efforts to make it happen – and we did it at a notoriously challenging rally. Adrien and Thierry were also contenders for very strong weekends, but various setbacks put them further down the overall classification. It's great to see Adrien back on the podium, he showed his maturity and his ability to contribute to the team's target. We look forward to seeing Thierry in better circumstances as soon as Rally Estonia.'
Al Bawaba
03-07-2025
- Al Bawaba
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Secures Podium Finish at Acropolis Rally Greece
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team (TGR-WRT) has braved turbulent roads, twisting mountain trails, and searing ambient temperatures to claim a hard-fought podium finish at Acropolis Rally Greece. Sébastien Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais secured second place in their No. 17 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1, their performance helping the team maintain its drivers' championship lead and Toyota its 65-point manufacturers' championship rough, rocky terrain and temperatures exceeding 40°C posed a significant challenge for TGR-WRT and the GR YARIS Rally1. The early stages west of Athens were especially demanding, with loose stones and step-like bedrock testing the car's durability, while the narrow, twisting mountain roads in the final legs left no room for error. Ogier maintained a leading pace despite running second on the road during the first day, helping clear a racing line while still delivering competitive on that performance, he and co-driver Landais began the final leg 43.6 seconds behind the leader and mounted a determined push, clocking the fastest times in both the penultimate test and the rally-ending Power Stage. The result saw them top the final-day classification and earn 10 bonus points, in addition to 17 for securing second place the years, Toyota has been participating in many different forms of motorsports, including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race. Toyota's participation in these events was overseen by separate entities within the company until April 2015, when Toyota established TGR, to consolidate all of its motorsports activities under one in-house brand. Representing Toyota's belief that 'the roads build the people, and the people build the cars,' TGR highlights the role of motorsports as a fundamental pillar of Toyota's commitment to making 'ever-better' cars. Harnessing years of experience gained under the extreme conditions of various motorsports events, TGR aims to forge new technologies and solutions that bring the freedom, adventure, and joy of driving to 8 of the 2025 FIA WRC is Rally Estonia (July 17–20), which returns to the calendar after a one-year absence. The event features high-speed gravel stages around Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city and the rally's central hub, combining wide and narrow sections with a predominantly soft, sandy Notes:• No. 17 Toyota GR YARIS Rally1 (Sébastien Ogier and Vincent Landais)• Position: 2nd • Time: 4 hours, 12 minutes, and 52.9 seconds
