Rovanperä leader in Greece at the end of the 2nd day

Two scratches and 3”7 ahead of his runner-up, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) can be satisfied with his day. Already leader after the first 3 special stages, the Scandinavian remained discreet but well placed in the afternoon. 

Although beaten by the Finn this Friday, Ott Tänak (+3”7), the 2019 world champion, returns to the Service Park with two special stages won and above all still chances of victory. “ I tried a lot but I didn't have a good feeling, admitted the Estonian at the end of the day. It's hard but I'm going to keep pushing ». 

For its part, Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) had a very good SS5 this Friday afternoon, gaining 4”7 from Kalle Rovanperä and 7”1 from Ott Tänak. The Frenchman returned to rest with a smile before a new day of competition this Saturday: “ I think what I did today was positive. I did everything I could to avoid making any mistakes. » 

On the French side, the afternoon was difficult for Pierre-Louis Loubet. The pilot Hyundai, victim of a break in the front left, stopped along the road during SS6. The Frenchman was half on the side, the special was stopped and the drivers were unable to set a time. The Corsican was able to leave thanks to the help of the fans who pushed his i20 to the finish.

In difficulty late in the morning with the power steering of his car, Thierry Neuville found some strength in the afternoon. In particular, he set the 2nd fastest time, behind Sébastien Ogier, on SS5. The Belgian is unfortunately a little more than 2 minutes behind Kalle Rovanperä, which compromises the rest of his weekend.

En WRC 2, Marco Bulacia took back the lead during the final stages of this Friday. The Bolivian achieved both stage wins to take the lead from Andreas Mikkelsen. The Norwegian is 5”4 ahead of his teammate. Nikolay Gryazin remains 3rd but now more than a minute behind the leading duo. A category where Mads Østberg was forced to give up at the end of the day following his motor skills problem. The Norwegian should leave tomorrow morning. 

Yohan Rossel is still clinging to the leading quartet in WRC 3. The French driver, 4th, is only 26”8 behind leader Chris Ingram. The Briton was impressively consistent today, scoring podiums on all stages. He is ahead by 10”4  Kajetan Kajetanowicz and 13”5 Emil Lindholm. The three Skoda drivers monopolize the first places in the category. Only Yohan Rossel with his Citroën seems able to deprive the Czech brand of a hat-trick in Greece.

The next special will take place this Saturday from 7:32 a.m. with the 7km SS24.25.