Torrential rain in the days leading up to the rally brought a different complexion to the event but made it no less difficult, with drivers encountering a wide variety of conditions in the stages: from thick mud to rough and rocky sections as the weather dried out. Saturday, the longest day of the rally, proved to be especially challenging for drivers, cars and tyres with a number of competitors hitting trouble.
Reigning world champion Rovanperä however managed to avoid issues while also setting a string of fastest times in his GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID to gain a lead of more than two minutes at the end of Saturday. That allowed him to take a safety-first approach to Sunday’s first two stages ahead of the rally-ending Power Stage, where he set the best time by 2.5 seconds to claim five additional bonus points.
The third win and maximum score of the season for Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen represents a perfect bounce back from retirement last time out at Rally Finland, and increases Rovanperä’s drivers’ championship lead to 33 points ahead of Evans – who has in turn moved 33 points in front of third-placed Thierry Neuville (Hyundai).
Evans and co-driver Scott Martin lost some time on Saturday morning with radiator damage but managed to continue and came into Sunday just five seconds away from second place, which they took with a stage win in the day’s first test, Tarzan. With the second-best time in the Power Stage, Evans held on to beat Dani Sordo (Hyundai) by 4.2s.
The one-two finish for the team represents a turnaround in the team’s fortunes and performance in Greece after a difficult event one year ago. Its maximum score in both the rally and the Power Stage also increases its lead in the manufacturers’ championship to 91 points with three rounds remaining.
On his first appearance since June’s Safari Rally Kenya, Sébastien Ogier was leading the rally on Saturday afternoon until sustaining tyre and suspension damage in the day’s final stage. Forced to retire, he restarted on Sunday morning and finished 10th overall.
Driving a fourth GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID with the support of the TGR WRC Challenge Program, Takamoto Katsuta finished sixth overall – having been close to the Evans-Sordo battle before stopping twice to change wheels in SS11 on Saturday afternoon.
