Written by Katie Gregory, Edited by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina
Following a series of fast gravel rallies, round ten of the World Rally Championship will venture into the rockier terrain of Greece. Known as “The Rally of the Gods”- its gruelling nature makes it the toughest event on the calendar. Cars and crews alike will be tested across 305 km of competitive action split into 15 stages.
With pressures rising high, the championship ramping up and drivers running out of time to impress, a rally like this one completely blurs the line between risk and reward. The limit will be next to impossible to find, unless you are brave enough to risk crossing it.
In theory, taking into account the rally’s unforgiving terrain, scorching heat, and smothering dust clouds - only the most discerning driver should be rewarded this weekend.
By the same logic, punishment should await any driver who is careless enough to throw caution to the wind. With that being said, any driver hoping to truly tame the trail will need to find the balance without breaking it, and hope luck is on their side.
The summer succession of fast rallies saw Thierry Neuville extend his championship lead from 18 to 27 points. This buffer will be extremely helpful for Neuville, especially considering he will be the first to take on the terrain on Friday and will therefore struggle for grip.
Neuville has more than enough experience to handle this, however, having won here in 2022. The victory cemented Neuville in Hyundai’s history, as he was part of their 1-2-3 finish.
Sébastien Ogier is sitting comfortably second in the championship and is certainly hungry to devour into this points margin. His form throughout this season has been exceptional, and no odds would see him discounted just yet. Out of the six events he has participated in, Ogier has won three times and placed second in the other three.
Fellow Toyota driver Elfyn Evans has had his fair share of being Neuville’s closest championship rival this year until an unfortunate weekend in Finland saw his chances diminish. The Welshman is now 36 points behind and will need plenty of luck on his side if he stands a chance at closing the gap.
Toyota sits 20 points behind Hyundai in the manufacturer’s championship, and hope to put together a perfect weekend to catch up. Joining Ogier, Evans and completing their lineup will be Takamoto Katsuta, who’s calm and considered approach will come in handy this weekend.
Seeking to protect their Manufacturer’s Championship lead, Hyundai’s lineup consists of Neuville, Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo. Coming off the back of an unlucky spell, Tänak could use this rally as a perfect chance to reset.
Having placed second here in 2021 and 2022, this year could finally be the opportunity for him to win. However, his teammate and veteran Dani Sordo may also be right in the mix, if he is given the chance to take the fight to the top dogs.
M-sport will be bringing Jourdan Serderidis, Grégoire Munster and Adrien Fourmaux. The strongest of the trio looks to be Fourmaux, who’s had an incredible run this year - especially on the fast gravel rallies.
Additionally, Fourmaux will have a better road position than the top four contenders, which could give him the edge he needs to secure victory.
The rally will start in Lamia on Friday morning with two loops of three stages in the mountains, with a service at mid-day. Saturday is a marathon day, taking our crews away for 16 hours to the Gulf of Corinth.
Here, five gravel stages will be undertaken, followed by a super special stage on the way back to Lamia. The event will end with three stages, and a second pass of Eleftherohori will act as the rally-ending Power Stage.
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