Motorsports
Victory for Neville and a convincing 1-2-3 for Hyundai at the EKO Rally Acropolis
Hyundai triumphantly ended the final day of the ECO Rally Acropolis 2022, taking the top three places in the standings.
Deserved winner of the 2022 EKO Rally Acropolis, Thierry Neville won one of the three stages on the final day to finish ahead of Ott Tanak and Dani Sordo in an impressive 1-2-3 for Hyundai – a first in the Korean company’s history in the WRC !
Ott Tanak won the other two stages and scored valuable points in the fight for the championship with second place in the overall standings and victory in the Power Stage. With three games remaining, they are now 54 points behind leaders Cale Rovaniemi.
Completing the podium for Hyundai was Danny Sordo, who ended up not having the fight with Elfin Evans he had hoped for as his Yaris suffered turbo issues ahead of the first stage of the day and forced the Toyota Gazoo Racing squad to retire.
The top 5 in the ranking of the EKO Rally Acropolis 2022
- Thierry Neville for Martin Vidage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- Ot Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT) +15.0”
- Dani Sordo – Cadito Carrera (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT) +1′ 49.7”
- Pierre-Louis Loubet – Vincent Landet (M-Sport Ford WRT) +3′ 42.2”
- Craig Breen – Paul Nagle (M-Sport Ford WRT) +4′ 09.0”
Emil Lindholm – Rita Hamalainen won the WRC2 class in the Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2. Great performance by Alexandros Tsouloftas – Ross Whittock (Volkswagen Polo GTI Rally2) who finished 9th overall and 3rd in WRC2.
Lambros Athanassoulas – Nikos Zakkhaios with Hyundai i20 N Rally2 also performed very well and took first place among the Greeks in 16th place overall. Vassilis Velanis – Yiannis Velanis (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Rally2) was the second Greek team to finish 24th overall and third was Nontas Karanikolas – Giorgos Kakavas who had a fantastic race and finished 3rd in the WRC3 Open with the Ford Fiesta Rally3 category and finished 28th overall at the EKO Rally Acropolis 2022.
In the RC4 category, first place was won by Paschalis Hatzimarkos-Marios Tsausoglou with the Peugeot 208 Rally4, moving fast and avoiding the problems that would have caused them to fail. Behind them, Savvas Lefkaditis-Vangelis Akratos set excellent times in their Peugeot 208 Rally4, but were unable to make up for the time lost on the first day.
In the WRC3 category, the title was literally decided at the end. The champion is Robert Virves, who eventually prevailed against Jon Armstrong. The young Estonian took advantage of the problems of his rivals and with his driving with great maturity he secured the prize that leads to 4 races in WRC2 next year. As you have understood, the title of the category, in which all drivers drive Ford Fiesta Rally3, was decided at the ECO Rally Acropolis 2022.
The winners of the Special Routes of the ECO Rally Acropolis 2022
- SS1 / EKO Super Special Stage OAKA: Thierry Neville – Martin Windage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS2 / Loutraki 1: Sebastian Lebb – Isabelle Galmis (M-Sport Ford WRT)
- SP3 / Harvati: Sebastian Lebb – Isabelle Galmis (M-Sport Ford WRT)
- SP4 / Loutraki 2: Sebastian Lebb – Isabelle Galmis (M-Sport Ford WRT)
- SS5 / Laurel: Pierre-Louis Loubet – Vincent Lande (M-Sport Ford WRT)
- SP6 / Livadia: Pierre-Louis Loubet – Vincent Landet (M-Sport Ford WRT)
- SS7 / Bauxite: Sebastian Loeb – Isabelle Galmis (M-Sport Ford WRT)
- SS8 / Tower 1: Ot Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS9 / Orchard 1: Thierry Neville – Martin Vidage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS10 / Tarzan 1: Thierry Neville – Martin Windage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS11 / Tower 2: Thierry Neville – Martin Vidage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS12 / Orchard 2: Dani Sordo – Cadito Carrera (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS13 / Tarzan 2: Ott Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS14 / Eleftherohori 1: Ot Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS15 / Elatia Regini: Thierry Neville – Martin Vidage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
- SS16 / Eleftherohori 2: Ot Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
WRC driver standings
- Calle Rowanpera: 207 points
- Ot Tanak: 154 points
- Thierry Neville: 131 points
- Elphin Evans: 116 points
- Takamoto Katsuta: 100 points
WRC Manufacturers’ Championship
- Toyota Gazoo Racing: 404 points
- Hyundai Motorsport: 341 points
- M Sport Ford: 214 points
- Toyota Gazoo Racing NG: 112 points
For ECO Rally Acropolis 2022 results click here.
The next WRC race is Rally New Zealand on September 29th.
Sportish lives the legendary EKO Acropolis Rally together with EKO, the largest Greek marketing company in its category and a main sponsor of the event and also the “EKO Super Special Stage” in OAKA.
Source: sport 24
Hi, my name is Jayden James. I am a writer at Sportish, and I mostly cover sports news. I have been writing since high school and have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I also write book reviews for a website. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and basketball.
Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg has weighed in on whether Lando Norris will follow in his footsteps and end his career in the sport early.
Norris joins a list of 35 drivers who have won the F1 championship in the championship’s 75-year history. But the Briton won his first title the hard way; Despite McLaren’s dominance in 2025, he lost to Oscar Piastri in the first half of the season and only defended the championship against Max Verstappen at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Nico Rosberg shared his memories of his title and then unexpectedly retired at the age of 31.
He then embarked on a tough challenge with his partner Lewis Hamilton, in which the pilot required enormous physical and emotional resources.
Rosberg stated that Norris was unlikely to follow a similar path as he was much younger and had many more years in F1.
“Everyone chooses their own path. I felt that I had reached the top and wanted to leave the top. It was a great moment after a long career. For me personally, it was the right decision.”
I understand that many were disappointed because it was a great fight at the time. But in Lando’s case, I’m sure he’s not even thinking about such a thing. He still has many good years ahead of him and he is definitely younger than I was then,” Rosberg explained.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Formula-1
Three Formula 1 teams filed a lawsuit due to the possible technical advantage of Mercedes and Red Bull
Formula 1 track in Las Vegas / Photo: © Alex Bierens de Haan / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
The Ferrari, Audi and Aston Martin teams have filed a joint lawsuit with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) over the advantage that Mercedes and Red Bull may have in the 2026 season under the new technical regulations, The Race reports.
In 2026, Formula 1 will switch to new technical regulations, which provide for a reduction in the fuel compression ratio in power plants from 18:1 to 16:1. This indicator will be monitored off the track.
According to the source, Mercedes and Red Bull have found a way to pass the tests while maintaining the actual race compression ratio at 18:1. This could give teams an advantage of 0.3-0.4 seconds per lap.
— The regulations clearly define the maximum compression ratio and the method for measuring it, based on static conditions at ambient temperature. This procedure remains unchanged despite the reduction in the permissible compression ratio for 2026, the FIA said in a statement.
The FIA does not intend to change the regulations at least until the tests are carried out. Teams are allowed to update their power unit designs every six races of the season.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
Max Verstappen shared his first impressions of the sound of the new generation Formula 1 power plants created according to the 2026 technical regulations.
Next season, the championship will see the most comprehensive changes to engine architecture since the introduction of turbo-hybrid units in 2014. The regulations foresee the abandonment of the MGU-H system, as well as a significant increase in the role of the electrical component; The ratio between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor will be 50 to 50.
Even though there is just over a month until the cars hit the track, Verstappen was pleased to hear the new engine was running.
Verstappen said: “It sounds good. Of course you hear it in the stands, but the sound is clear and pleasant. I don’t think anyone has specifically worked on the noise but it’s really good.” he said.
For the first time in its history, the Red Bull team is building its own power plant, working in partnership with the American automobile giant Ford.
Verstappen wants to challenge for the Formula One title again in the 2026 season after his tense championship defeat to Lando Norris this month. However, the Dutch pilot plans to take a break from F1 before the new season starts.
“I’m really looking forward to it – I really need it. I also want to make sure that everything I do within the program next year will be well prepared, especially the GT3 project. That’s the most important thing for me at the moment, that everything is in the right state,” summarized the pilot.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
-
Ligue 13 years agoRenato Sanchez signed in Paris for five years
-
Europa League4 years agoIn transfer alert at Olympiakos for additions and concessions
-
Europa League4 years agoFenerbahce – Eintracht 1: 1: The Germans took 1st place in the Olympiacos group
-
Europa League4 years agoWithout Nainggolan and Samata, the 11th team from Antwerp
-
Europa League4 years agoEuropa League
-
Europa League4 years agoAtalanta announced the acquisition of Boga
-
Europa League4 years agoFears that Zapata will be out for 4 months
-
Premier League4 years agoExcept for the rest of January, Sean was injured