With a total of 695.64 km of liaison and special stages and no intermediate service, the second day of the EKO Acropolis Rally felt like a true marathon for the crews. Beyond the tough stages, they had to contend with high temperatures and the unpredictability lurking around every corner of the six special stages. Managing these demanding conditions required a marathon runner’s mindset, as famous coach Mike Fanelli suggests: "In the first part, run with your head, in the second with your personality, and in the final part with your heart."

Thierry Neuville proved that if he weren’t part of the WRC elite, he could be a distinguished long-distance runner! He drove wisely, avoiding unnecessary risks, never straying from his plan, and kept his composure despite Sébastien Ogier’s repeated attempts to throw him off mentally and break his concentration. In the end, he was fully vindicated: he now sits at the top of the overall standings.

On the other hand, Ott Tänak, who led last night’s standings, suffered two punctures in the opening special stage, losing significant time and being forced to continue cautiously, without a spare tyre, until the tyre fitting zone in Loutraki. He is now fourth, two minutes behind Sébastien Ogier, who won three special stages and closed the gap from second-placed Dani Sordo to 25.0 seconds.

The goddess of luck wasn’t generous with the Spanish driver in the "Rally of Gods." In SS9, a puncture destroyed the rear right wing of his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, forcing him to deal with dust continuously entering the car during the remaining stages.

Sometimes, however, fortune favours the brave, as was the case with Yohan Rossel, who mounted a consistent comeback, setting the fastest times in three stages and climbing to third in WRC2. He now sets the stage for an exciting finale, with class leader Sami Pajari (+54.2 sec) and second-placed Robert Virves (+26.4 sec). Panagiotis Roustemis may be out of contention for the top spot in this category, but with an impressive performance, he leads the Greek crews and sits 15th overall.

In JWRC/WRC3, Norbert Maior’s strategy of cautious driving protected both crew and car from trouble, yielding the best results. He has secured a lead of more than two minutes over Romet Jürgenson and nearly four minutes over Petr Borodin, putting the Romanian crew in a strong position for their maiden WRC3 victory. Nevertheless, nothing can be taken for granted, especially in this year’s EKO Acropolis Rally, where the return to tough stages has proved that predictions are out of the question.

The day ended with the spectacle and sounds of WRC at the EKO Super Special Stage in front of thousands of spectators, in an area where the energy needs were covered by installed photovoltaic canopies with a total capacity of 500 kW and hybrid energy converters.

The landscape is expected to change dramatically tomorrow, especially the road surfaces, after heavy rain hit Lamia and the surrounding areas late Saturday night. The rally will end with three special stages totaling 54.05 km. Only then will we know who demonstrated the most determination, personality, and heart — essential qualities for victory in a challenging event like the EKO Acropolis Rally.

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