Ogier Claims Early Advantage at Acropolis Rally with Athens Super Special Victory

Reigning world rally champion Sébastien Ogier seized the early initiative at the Acropolis Rally Greece, winning the opening super special stage on Thursday night in Athens.

The rally commenced with a brand-new head-to-head asphalt stage in the Greek capital, a striking contrast to the punishing gravel roads that define the event’s reputation. Ogier prevailed in a direct duel against 2024 champion Thierry Neuville, crossing the line 1.1 seconds faster than his Hyundai rival.

Toyota team-mate Takamoto Katsuta posted the next best time, finishing one second adrift of Ogier’s benchmark after defeating championship leader Elfyn Evans in his heat.

“Obviously the real start is tomorrow,” Ogier noted. “But being in Greece is such a pleasure. It’s a historic rally, and we know how tough a challenge awaits us. Luck will play a big role in the result, but we feel ready.”

Neuville’s time secured him third overall heading into Friday’s six gravel stages, where he will benefit from a favorable seventh position on the road order.

“It’s great to kick off another gravel rally with a good feeling in the car, but we don’t need to be overoptimistic,” Neuville cautioned. “It’s a long rally and a lot of things can happen. We’ll just try to enjoy it, drive our own pace and see where we end up.” The Belgian had earlier topped Thursday morning’s shakedown session.

WRC Leaderboard After Thursday

Toyota drivers Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari shared identical times, 1.2 seconds off Ogier’s pace, winning their respective heats against M-Sport-Ford’s Mārtiņš Sesks and Jon Armstrong. Evans slotted into sixth, facing the daunting task of opening the road on Friday across five stages running for the first time.

“Clearly it’s gonna be a tough weekend,” Evans acknowledged. “It’s gonna be rocky and quite rough. It will be difficult to find that balance, like usual, between being fast and looking after the car and the tyres, but that’s gonna be the name of the game.”

Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux followed in seventh, just half a second behind Evans. The top ten was completed by team-mate Dani Sordo, M-Sport’s Armstrong, and leading WRC2 contender Yohan Rossel.

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