BY F.KAHEESI& H.MBAZIIRA, LOUTRAKI GREECE.
TOYOTA had a short lead celebration as Hyundai became the dusty Kings in the early morning Friday stages of EKO Acropolis Rally of Gods.
The Rocky and dusty stages, saw Toyota struggle through the cloud dusty aired stages of Aghil Theodori (26.76km) and Loutraki(12.9km), handing the lead mantle to Hyundai, who carefully sailed through them.
However, Toyota kept trail of their title nemesis, and it paid off in the repeat of the 26.76km stage, when Thierry Nueville picked a rear left flat tyre, handing back the lead to Sebastien Ogier.
Ogier resumed the Rally lead with a marginal time difference of +6.1 seconds against Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.
Another Hyundai of Adrian Fourmax comes in third,as they head to regroup in and remote service at Loutraki before going for the day’s last three stages of Thiva(19.58km), Stiri(24.18km) and Elatia(11.58km).
Toyota experienced a brief moment of celebration in the leadership ranks before Hyundai emerged as the frontrunner on the dusty terrains in the early Friday segments of the EKO Acropolis Rally of Gods.
Known for its rugged and dusty trails, the courses of Aghil Theodori (26.76km) and Loutraki (12.9km) posed significant challenges for Toyota, causing them to lose their lead to Hyundai, which navigated these sections with greater precision and care.
Despite these difficulties, Toyota remained persistent in their pursuit of their championship rival, which ultimately paid off during the second run of the 26.76km stretch.
There, an unexpected flat rear left tire on Thierry Neuville’s Hyundai allowed Sebastien Ogier from Toyota to reclaim the lead position.
Ogier secured the Rally lead with a narrow advantage of +6.1 seconds over Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.
Meanwhile, another Hyundai driver, Adrian Fourmax, holds the third position as they prepare to regroup and undertake remote servicing in Loutraki before tackling the day’s final three stages: Thiva (19.58km), Stiri (24.18km), and Elatia (11.58km).
More updates to follow…….
PHOTOS- Courtesy of WRC
