ECO Rally Acropolis: Victory for Tanak in ED Tarzan 2 and 1-2-3 for Hyundai at the end of the day

Ott Tanak found a rhythm and launched an attack, setting the best time in the final encounter for the day, the ED Tarzan 2′, which was the sixth special of the day and the 13th of the EKO Rally Acropolis.

The Estonian wants victory more than anything. So expect a battle between the two Hyundais tomorrow as Tanak will need to pass overall leader Thierry Neville if he is to keep his title chances high. Of course, taking advantage of the fact that leaders Kale Rovanpera have lost all hope of a place in the table.

The Finn’s mistake in hitting the Toyota Yaris in ‘ED Perivoli 1’ cost him a place in the points. Rovanpera ended the day with the 6th fastest time in the special stage ‘Tarzan 2’ and gathered strength for tomorrow’s final stage and Power Stage points in ‘Eleftherohori 2’.

Elfin Evans, in the other Toyota Yaris, had some difficulties at the start but eventually finished easily and even managed to set the third fastest time. He remains fourth overall, slightly closing the gap to Dani Sordo in the third Hyundai.

As a rule, however, the top crews moved much faster compared to the morning passage on the same route. In the WRC2 category of the leaders Finn Emil Lindholm with Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2.

The top 5 in the ranking of the EKO Rally Acropolis 2022, after the ‘ED Tarsan 2’.

1. Thierry Neville for Martin Vidage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)
2. Ot Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT) +27.9”
3. Dani Sordo – Cadito Carrera (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT) +52.9”
4. Elfin Evans – Scott Martin (Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT) +1′ 00.0”
5. Pierre-Louis Loubet – Vincent Landet (M-Sport Ford WRT) +2′ 40.1”

At the end of Stage 2, Alexandros Tsouloftas – Ross Whittock (Volkswagen Polo GTI Rally2) sit 11th overall and fourth in the WRC2 class, despite the two pitfalls they faced during the day.

Lambros Athanasoulas – Nikos Zakhaios (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) suffered from a driver health issue and a hydraulic assist issue but they are the first Greeks, in 16th overall. Vassilis Velanis – Yiannis Velanis (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo Rally2) finished the day in 25th while Nontas Karanikolas – Giorgos Kakavas (Ford Fiesta Rally3) are third in Greece and fourth in the WRC3 category.

The statements of the protagonists:

#69 Kale Rovanpera – Jone Haltunen (Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)

“Tough day. If I hadn’t made that stupid mistake this morning we would be in the points now.”

#8 Ot Tanak – Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)

“We didn’t push and it’s important that we managed to get here. Everything is overheating!”

#11 Thierry Neville – Martin Vidage (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)

“Today was a great day for us. The truth is that we once had a heart attack with the battery voltage, but everything is fine now. We also tried to manage our tires well and avoid any spin.”

#33 Elfin Evans-Scott Martin (Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT)

“We had a problem at the beginning of the special stage.”

#18 Takamoto Katsuta – Aaron Johnston (Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT New Generation)

“The hybrid unit is working, but we lost time to a tet-a-ke.”

#42 Craig Breen – Paul Nagle (M Sport Ford WRT)

“Tough race, with a lot of heat and demanding. We had no problems, avoided mistakes. It’s a shame that we had the branch yesterday.”

#6 Dani Sordo – Cadito Carrera (Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT)

“The day was very difficult. I tried to stay in front of Evans and defend the position for my two stablemates. I don’t like this stage very much and I didn’t do a good time.”

#7 Pierre-Louis Loubet – Vincent Landet (M-Sport Ford WRT)

“The rear tires were completely worn out. There was no reason to take unnecessary risks, it’s more important to get back on duty and finish the day.”

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.