the Belgian Thierry Neuville (Huyndai) set the fastest time in the first stage of the Acropolis Rally, round 10 of the WRC World Rally Championship, in Athens (Greece) on Thursday evening, while championship leader Finn Kalle Rovanperä was eighth.
Neuville was ahead of three other Hyundai drivers, Finn Teemu Suninen in WRC2, Spaniard Dani Sordo in third and Estonian Ott Tänak in fourth.
The short 1.95km stage, the only one on the first day, was held at the Olympic Stadium in Athens and was mainly a warm-up for the competitors.
The nine-time world champion in the category, the French sebastien loebwho returned to Greece for a season, was seventh ahead of Rovanperä.
The Finn has already won five rallies this season and leads the championship with 203 points, against 131 for Ott Tänak, his runner-up, and 116 for Britain’s Elfyn Evans (Toyota), fifteenth fastest on Thursday of night
The 21-year-old prodigy could mathematically become the youngest world champion on Sunday.
“It’s pretty unlikely it’s going to happen,” he said Thursday. “Ott has shown speed in recent events and it looks like he will be the same again here,” he continued.
The rally continues this Friday with six stages during the day and concludes on Sunday with 16 stages.
Classification
1st day
1. Thierry Neuville-Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) 1:58.4
2. Teemu Sunninen-Mikko Markkula (FIN/Hyundai/WRC2) at 0″1
3. Dani Sordo-Candido Carrera (ESP/Hyundai) in 1″0
4. Ott Tänak-Martin Järveoja (EST/Hyundai) in 1″1
5. Emil Lindholm-Reeta Hämäläinen (FIN/Skoda Fabia/WRC2) in 1″2
…..
7. Sébastien Loeb-Isabelle Galmiche (FRA/M-Sport Ford) at 1″3
8. Kalle Rovanperä-Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota) at 1″5
10. Esapekka Lappi-Janne Ferm (FIN/Toyota) at 1″8
15. Elfyn Evans – Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) on 2″8
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
