© EPA-EFE
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) remains in the lead at the end of the first full day of racing on the Rally of Greece. The Belgian has a lead of 2.8 seconds on first pursuer Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris Rally1). Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota Yaris Rally1) is already 25.5 seconds behind in third place.
Bron: BELGIAN
The rain of the past few days gave way to sunshine on Friday morning, although the traces of the abundant rainfall were still visible in some places in the form of mud and puddles. Neuville won the first stage and took the lead from Rovanperä who lost time first on the track. For Pierre-Louis Loubet (Ford Puma Rally1) and his Belgian co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, the rally was over before it had even started. A broken water pump on the way to the start of the first stage ruined his rally.
On Friday afternoon his teammate Ott Tänak (Ford Puma Rally1) experienced a similar problem. The Estonian was able to solve the problem but started 22 minutes late and received a 3:40 penalty. Tänak won the penultimate and last stage on Friday, but can once again forget a good result. Neuville was second fastest in the same stage and significantly increased his lead over the competition. Only Ogier was able to limit the damage with a loss of five seconds. At 28.32 km, the last ride on Friday was the longest of all. Ogier won that stage ahead of Neuville. “From the start I felt a problem at the rear right. Something is broken. I couldn’t do more,” Neuville said at the finish. The gap between the Belgian and the Frenchman Ogier is 2.8 seconds.
On Saturday, two loops of three rides each are planned. There will be three more rides on Sunday. The Rally of Greece ends on Sunday afternoon.
© EPA-EFE