The FIA WRC Acropolis Rally Greece, one of the roughest events in the WRC calendar, proved once again why it is renowned for testing even the best. Sébastien Ogier, the eight-time WRC champion, entered the rally prepared to fight for glory, but his weekend was marked by both triumph and heartbreak.
Ogier started the rally strong, fighting for the lead against Estonian driver Ott Tänak. However, disaster struck on the final stage of the opening day. On SS6, Ogier’s TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Hybrid Rally1 suffered a turbo failure, costing him more than two minutes and dropping him from the lead to fourth overall. The setback pushed him 2min 20sec behind the rally leader, Thierry Neuville.
Not one to back down, Ogier came out swinging on Saturday and Sunday, pushing his Yaris to the limit. By Sunday morning, the Frenchman clawed his way back to second place (and claimed eight scratch times), slicing the gap to Neuville to just 1min 2.4sec by the start of the final stage. The comeback was remarkable, and Ogier appeared poised to secure a strong finish despite his earlier misfortune.
As the final stages unfolded, Ogier demonstrated his skill, winning two of the first three tests on Sunday. His blistering pace put him in a commanding lead in the Super Sunday classification, and with the Power Stage approaching, he had a chance to gain even more crucial points.
Then came SS15, the dreaded Power Stage. The Acropolis terrain, notorious for its rock-strewn, car-breaking surfaces, once again showed no mercy. Just one kilometer into the final test, Ogier’s luck ran out as he sustained a puncture. Pushing hard to stay in the fight, Ogier ran wide in the following corner, sending his Yaris into a roll.
Miraculously, both Ogier and his co-driver, Vincent Landais, emerged unscathed from the crash. Displaying their veteran rallying experience, the duo quickly set about making repairs to their stricken car on the side of the stage. Although they lost precious time, Ogier managed to limp the car across the finish line and salvage a respectable 13 points for finishing third on Saturday.
Reflecting on the challenging weekend, Ogier remained pragmatic: “We gave everything all weekend. We did a lot right, we had a great feeling in the car and great pace, and we fought as hard as we could until the last stage. Unfortunately, we picked up a puncture around a kilometer in, I didn’t react to brake early enough for the next corner, and we rolled. Thankfully we managed to fix the car and bring it back to service, and bring at least some points to the team. It’s been a strange weekend. In many aspects, it was close to perfection, but it doesn’t count in rallying if you don’t bring it all to the end. This is not a rally where you want to be taking risks; you need some luck to do so, and it was not on our side.”
The Acropolis Rally Greece, once again, reminded us all that in rallying, nothing is certain until the final car crosses the finish line.
* Photos by Toyota GAZOO Racing WRT.