Ott Tanäk leads the way after day 2 of the rally acropolis rally Greece after a hard fought battle between 8 time world champion Sebastian Ogier and the soaring temperatures. Adrien Formaux is second after a good day of rallying keeping his Hyundai Rally1 car out of trouble. Ogier is still applying pressure to the duo of Hyundai’s ahead however with the Greek maestro just 16.9 seconds further back in third. Friday was one of the toughest days on the calendar with car breaking stages such as Loutraki and Aghii Theodori and soaring temperatures at 40°C outside and over 70 degrees inside the car. Stage 4 was one of the worst of the day with McErlean and Munster getting punctures on the front left and front right respectively. Tanäk damaged the front left tire late into the stage losing minimal time luckily. Ogier got a slow puncture aswell hampering the leading two but only slightly. Thierry Neuville after recieving the lead on SS3 lost it almost instantly after gaining it lost it due to a front left puncture, the reigning champion didn’t appear frustrated after losing 39.8 seconds however after another puncture on stage 5 the Belgian’s patience was on short supply. Taka Katsuta after a disappointing first stage of the day posted some very competitive stage times once again showing his talent and lack of luck this year. On stage 6 most drivers reported loose gravel and low amounts of grip. Rövanpera stopped to change a wheel losing over 2 minutes. The Finn was confused with how the puncture came about saying that he “hadn’t hit anything” throughout the stage. After a great start to the day, Sami Pajari retired his GR Yaris Rally1 machine, and to add insult to injury Martins Sesks retired his Puma due to a fuel supply system issue in the regroup area. So as it stands in Greece after 7 special stages:
Ott Tanäk leads from Hyundai teammate Adrien Formaux by just 3 seconds. Sebastian Ogier is third 13.9 off Fourmaux and 16.9 off the lead. Championship leader Evans is fourth and on course to maintain his championship position after this weekend. And the suprise of the day Grégoire Munster in fifth with a great conservative strategy to keep his Puma on the road. 6th 7th and 8th positions are closely fought between Kalle Rovanpera, Theirry Neuville and Taka Katsuta with Katsuta have the upper hand after 7 special stages. And after a frustrating day Josh McErlean struggled to 12th position.

Written by Tony Griffin “Bear”