2025
After three days and hundreds of competitive kilometres, just 4.1 seconds separate Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier in the fight for victory.
There is an old saying in rallying: a rally only ends at the finish ramp. The 2026 EKO Acropolis Rally has once again proved why. Widely regarded as the toughest event on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar, the Acropolis continued to push both drivers and machinery to their limits, with competitors insisting that nothing has been decided yet. Although Saturday’s special stages were not as punishing as Friday’s, they proved every bit as demanding.
The battle for the overall lead has become a two-driver contest. From the opening stage of the day, Thierry Neuville and Sebastien Ogier traded fastest times, each responding to the other throughout Saturday’s itinerary. Neuville, however, never surrendered the overall lead and finished the day with a slender 4.1-second advantage, giving the Hyundai driver a narrow cushion heading into Sunday’s finale. Ogier, behind the wheel of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, remains firmly in contention and is expected to push hard to the very end.
Takamoto Katsuta moved into third overall with another Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 after Adrien Fourmaux's misfortune. The Hyundai driver started third and seemed to have the pace, even winning the Kolines stage. But a puncture on Ghymno's second pass forced a wheel change, costing time. Drama continued on Menalo 2, with Evans and Sordo also puncturing. Evans lost nearly two minutes, dropping to seventh; Sordo fell to eighth. Josh McErlean finished fifth, just a second behind Fourmaux, with Sami Pajari in sixth.
In WRC2, Andreas Mikkelsen leads in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, with Robert Virves close behind in the same car. The third-place fight is between Spaniards Joan Solans (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Alejandro Cachón (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2).
Giannis Plagos leads Greek crews in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, with Nontas Karanikolas in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 second. “Flandy” is third among Greeks and in WRC3 behind Matteo Fontana and Tymek Abramowski, both in Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Beyond the on-stage battles, Saturday highlighted safety at the EKO Acropolis Rally. Spectators entered SS12 (Ghymno 2) while live, creating danger and causing the stage to stop. The incident emphasised the need to follow rally officials' instructions to ensure everyone's safety.
That message is even more relevant before Sunday’s final leg, which features four special stages but is not straightforward. Crews will pass through Aghii Theodori and Loutraki twice, with the second Loutraki run as the Wolf Power Stage. The 84 km competitive route will be decisive, confirming that at the EKO Acropolis Rally, nothing is settled until the finish.
For high-resolution photographs click here
