2025
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece reaffirmed its reputation as one of the most challenging FIA World Rally Championship events, with Thierry Neuville leading after Friday by a narrow margin.
From the first special stage, yesterday’s smiles and the festive start gave way to the real challenge of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Six demanding stages, one remote service, and tough conditions pushed drivers, cars, and tyres to their limits. Tyre management and avoiding trouble became as crucial as speed. It was a day when survival mattered more than speed.
Thierry Neuville made the most of his road position, delivering a consistently strong performance in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 to finish the leg in the overall lead. The Belgian 2024 World Champion maintained an impressive rhythm throughout the day, finishing ahead of Sebastien Ogier in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. The nine-time World Champion avoided punctures, stayed in contention throughout the leg, and remains firmly in the fight for victory.
Adrien Fourmaux, who had briefly led the rally earlier in the day in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1, lost valuable time after a puncture. Nevertheless, the Frenchman completed the leg in third place overall, securing a Hyundai 1-3.
Road position again influenced the day's outcome. Josh McErlean used his running order to finish fourth in his Ford Puma Rally1. M-Sport had a strong day, with Martins Sesks in fifth and Jon Armstrong delivering a standout performance. The Irishman claimed the first FIA World Rally Championship stage win of his career and climbed as high as third overall before his impressive run came to an end due to a turbo failure on his Ford Puma Rally1. Meanwhile, championship leader Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta both paid the price for their unfavourable road positions. Evans, opening the road throughout the day, ended the leg seventh overall, while Katsuta finished sixth. Dani Sordo and Sami Pajari also lost valuable time, while Oliver Solberg retired on the final special stage of the day, Thiva, after his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 left the road at a point from which it could not be recovered.
In WRC2, the battle has developed into an all-Toksport affair, with Andreas Mikkelsen and Robert Virves leading the category in their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars. The experienced Norwegian, a three-time WRC rally winner, ended the leg with an 8.2-second advantage over his Estonian team-mate. Spain’s Alejandro Cachón holds third place in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 after capitalising on a mistake by Yohan Rossel in his Lancia Ypsilon HF on the final special stage of the day.
Among the Greek crews, Giannis Plagos remains the leading national competitor in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, having established a comfortable advantage over Efthymios Chalkias in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. “Flandy” completes the top three in a Ford Fiesta Rally3. Meanwhile, Jourdan Serderidis (Ford Puma Rally1), Athanassoulas (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) and Roustemis (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) will rejoin the rally under Superally after retiring on Friday.
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece has already revealed its toughest side, and the challenge is only set to intensify. Saturday’s route takes crews to the Peloponnese for six special stages covering a total of 108.69 kilometres, including the brand-new Kolines and Menalo Mt. tests in Arcadia, a region returning to the rally itinerary after four decades. It is another demanding day that promises to push both crews and machinery to their limits.
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