Ott Tanak wins Acropolis Rally with Ireland's Josh McErlean 12th
The victory on the rough gravel roads and in sweltering heat also ended Toyota's unbeaten run with Sebastien Ogier, winner of the previous two rounds, finishing second and 32.8 seconds behind.
Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux completed the podium.
Tanak closed the gap on Toyota's championship leader Elfyn Evans, who finished fourth, to 12 points.
Ogier, who is running a part-time campaign, is nine points behind his teammate.
"I was very worried, to be honest," Tanak said of the final gearbox drama. "In the last stage, third gear got very noisy and I understood that this one broke.
"Soon, the whole gearbox got very noisy and we didn't have much confidence that we would finish the stage and get back here. It was definitely far too much stress to win a rally."
Meanwhile, Derry native McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy brought a tricky weekend to a conclusion with a 12th-place finish in their M-Sport Ford.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
St Pat's blow as key player ruled out for season on eve of Besikitas clash
Zack Elbouzedi has been ruled out for the rest of St Pat's season. The ace winger dislocated his shoulder in the first-leg win over Estonian side Nomme Kalju at Richmond Park a fortnight ago. And ahead of Thursday's big European clash with Turkish giants Besiktas, Stephen Kenny confirmed he won't play again in 2025. Kenny said: 'Zack has been ruled out for the season. He needs an operation on his dislocated shoulder. Aidan Keena will be out for a long period and Romal Palmer is (already) out. Those three would have featured in these games, but it opens up the door for other players. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . 'Simon Power has come in and grabbed his opportunity, and Kian Leavy, so it opens up for other players, and that's the nature of football.' But Kenny has swooped to secure cover on the flanks with the signing of Jamaican-born Jordan Garrick. He was most recently with Forest Green Rovers and has made over 130 appearances in English with Swansea City, Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle and Lincoln City. St Pats' Zack Elbouzedi is injured against Kalju (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) Garrick is registered to feature in tonight's European squad but is unlikely to be involved having trained just twice with his new team-mates. Kenny said: 'He's had a terrific career and we feel he can make a good impact and contribution here, in what will be an intensive period. 'With Zack being ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury, he'll have an operation soon. And with the (quad) injury Aidan Keena picked up last week plus Romal Palmer also being out, it's an area of the pitch we've been looking at. 'Jordon can play in any attacking areas of the pitch, central but predominantly wide, and had a really good spell with Plymouth in League 1 as well as at Forest Green." St Pat's are big underdogs against Besikitas and Kenny added: "To win over two legs is the challenge, not just the game tomorrow, but the game in Istanbul of course. 'It's a big challenge and you have to prepare well because you can lose it in the first 10 minutes if you're not psychologically tuned in. We must back ourselves and try to establish some elements of control in the game. That will be our objective.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan win in Junior WRC category of Secto Rally Finland
Donegal's Eamonn Kelly (Ford Fiesta Rally3), co-driven by Monaghan's Conor Mohan, won the Junior WRC category of Secto Rally Finland, finishing 8.3s ahead of series leader Taylor Gill. The twenty-six year old Frosses driver also secured extra championship points courtesy of three stage wins. Moving into the lead on Saturday's penultimate stage when rival Taylor Gill had trye issues, Kelly punched in the fastest time (SS17) to lead by 21.2s. The Irish pair managed their advantage well. On the final leg - a double run over the famous 23.98km Ouninpohja stage - they went on to claim a famous win. Standing on the top step of the podium, a delighted Kelly, who previously won the JWRC round in Croatia in 2023, said: "This is probably the first win we have really earned. Finland is the place of speed and one of the most iconic rallies in the world, it's a special event to win. "It's a proper rally from the word go, there's no minding, it's flat out, especially when you're racing against really fast guys. "From the start we were in the mix and it's been so enjoyable to be battling it out on these roads, the buzz is unbelievable." Meanwhile, in the main event, another all-Irish crew - Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) took a season equalling seventh place after they benefitted from the final stage retirement of Hyundai's Adrien Fourmaux. Just like Monte Carlo, they were the top M-Sport Ford crew and also netted their highest points (6) haul. Home hero Kalle Rovanpera, with his maiden Secto Rally Finland, victory led home a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 top five with a masterful display that powered him into WR title contention - three points behind team mate Elfyn Evans, who regained the championship lead. Irish co-driver Aaron Johnston and Japan's Takamoto Katsuta took second place (39.2s behind) with Sebastien Ogier completing the podium line-up and even though he's on a partial programme, the French ace is only 13 points off the championship lead - the same as pre-event series leader Ott Tanak, who eventually finished tenth after the organisers imposed a five minute penalty. Rovanpera began Saturday's eight stages with a 4.9s lead over the Hyundai of Thierry Neuville whose team mate Adrien Fourmaux was 2.8s further behind in third, but that was as close as they got. Apart from a slow puncture on SS13 where Rovanpera found the conditions the most difficult he's ever faced on home soil, the Finn won five stages and ended the day with a 36.1s advantage. His nearest challengers were his own team mates, a staggering quartet of Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 that provided the Japanese outfit with a lock-out of the top five places. Neuville and Fourmaux stayed in touch and were within 15s of Rovanpera at the midday service, but all changed on the repeat run. Neuville, who lost brakes for a few kilometres on SS14, and Fourmaux both suffered front right wheel puncture early in SS16 before ending the day in sixth and seventh respectively with Neuville also struggling with brake issues. Having begun the day with some understeer, the demise of the Hyundai duo propelled Katsuta into second, Ogier in third had one objective - to stay ahead of fourth placed Evans, who was set to regain the championship lead. Josh McErlean was eighth - gaining a position when his team mate Sesks struggled for vision through a misted screen on SS15 as he lost some two minutes when he had to stop and clear the screen. The wet conditions posed plenty of issues on the same stage for McErlean, who declared: "So, so sketchy. You don't know where the water is or the puddles appear. So tricky. At the start we couldn't see, we opened the vents on the high speed road." Sami Pajari completed Toyota's noteworthy top-five lockout. M-Sport's Gregoire Munster and Martins Sesks completed the top ten. Pre-event series leader Ott Tanak was down in fourteenth position due to the addition of a five-minute penalty imposed for an incident involving a scrutineer on Friday. On the final leg Rovanpera, whose average speed was 129.95kph, went on to take a maximum thirty-five championship points winning the Power Stage as Toyota became the first manufacturer in 35 years to take the top five positions equalling Lancia's record set in 1990. Top M=Sport driver McErlean showed improved pace from his previous outing in Estonia. Secto Rally Finland (Round 9, World Rally Championship) Jyvaskyla 1. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) 2h. 21m. 51.4a 2. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+39.2s 3. S. Ogier/V Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+45.1s 4. E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+48.1s 5. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 18.8s 6. T. Neuville/M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+2m. 01.5s 7. J. McErlean/E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1)+4m. 07.4s 8. M. Sesks/R. Francis (Ford Puma Rally1)+5m. 17.2s 9. G. Munster/L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)+5m. 24.9s 10. O. Tanak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1)+7m. 38.4s. Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings (After Round 9) 1. E. Evans 176pts 2. K. Rovanpera 173pts 3. S. Ogier 163pts 4. O. Tanak 163pts 5. T. Neuville 125pts 6. T. Katsuta 87pts 7. A. Fourmaux 71pts 8. O. Solberg 52pts 9. S. Pajari 48pts 10. G. Munster 21pts 11. J. McErlean 20pts. World Rally Manufacturers' Championship Standings (After Round 9) 1. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 458pts 2, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT 371pts 3. M-Sport Ford WRT 129pts 4. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 85pts. Secto Rally Finland Juniors 1. E. Kelly/C. Mohan (Ford Fiesta Rally3) 2h. 41m. 21.6s 2. T. Gill/D. Brkic (Ford Fiesta Rally3)+8.3s 3. A. Turkkan/O. Albayrak (Ford Fiesta Rally3)+21.7s. Junior WRC Positions 1. T. Gill 95pts 2. M. Johansson 79pts 3. A. Turkkan 62pts 4. E. Kelly 57pts 5. K. Kakaz 48pts.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Toyota is Wicklow's favourite car brand as top five revealed
The top five, best-selling new car brands for 2025 are Toyota at number one, Volkswagen at two, Hyundai in third, Skoda in fourth and Kia in fifth. Meanwhile, the top new car model for 2025 in Wicklow is the Hyundai Tuscon, followed by the Toyota Yaris Cross in second, Skoda Octavia in third, Toyota Rav in fourth and Kia Sportage in fifth. The top selling electric vehicle model so far this year in the Garden County is the Volkswagen ID.4, with the Kia EV3 in second place, followed by Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Inster. Grey is the colour favoured by Wicklow motorists for their vehicles, followed by black, blue, white/ivory and red/maroon. New car registrations in Co Wicklow rose by 8.56pc, higher than the national average of a 4.3pc increase, for the first seven months of the year compared the same period for 2024. Nationally, 26,787 new car registrations took place, compared to 25,676 last year. Registrations year to date are up 3.7pc from 108,531this year compared to 104,655 in 2024. 2,499 new cars were registered in County Wicklow so far this year, representing an overall market share of 2.3pc, compared to 2,302 vehicles last year, which represented a 2.2pc share of the market. The number of new electric car registrations in Co Wicklow also rose by 22.35pc from the 510 vehicles registered from January to July last year, to the 624 new electric vehicle registrations over the same period so far this year. Nationally in July 4,913 new electric cars were registered, which was 57pc higher than the 3,129 registrations in July 2024. So far this year, 18,542 new electric cars have been registered, representing a 33.7pc increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 13,866 electric cars were registered. Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) increased by 22.8pc (6,133) compared to July last year (4,995). Year to date LCVs are down 0.9pc (24,945). Heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) registrations are down 18.8pc (380) compared to July 2024 (468). Year to date, HGVs are down 11.3pc (2,028). Imported used cars have seen a 16.8pc (6,803) rise in July 2025, when compared to July 2024 (5,825). Year to date imports are up 9.4pc (40,698) on 2024 (37,195). In the new car market share by engine type for 2025, petrol cars continue as the new car market leader at 26.90pc, followed by hybrid (petrol electric) at 22.72pc, diesel at 17.13pc, electric at 17.08pc, and plug-in electric hybrid at 14.71pc, SIMI Director General Brian Cooke stated: 'New car registrations in July saw a 4pc increase on the same month last year, with 26,787 units registered. Year to date sales are also close to 4pc ahead of last year, with a total of 108,531 new cars registered. "New battery-electric car registrations increased by 57pc when compared to July 2024, with 4,913 units sold, while year to date they have reached 18,542, a 34pc increase on the same period last year, and are now back to 2023 levels. Notably, this means that we have surpassed the 175,000 EV target (BEV & PHEV combined) for 2025 contained in the government's climate action plan. "This important landmark on the road to electrification could not have been achieved without the significant levels of government incentives. If we want to continue this momentum, these supports must be maintained and extended well beyond the end of this year. 'Light commercial vehicle sales, which had been disappointing during Q1, have bounced back since then, with the July LCV market up 23pc on last year, and are now less than 1pc behind 2024 year to date. Heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations are down 19pc in July and down 11pc year to date. The mixed results and market fluctuations in the commercial sector reflect the current economic and political uncertainty.'
