66. EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2022
WRC #10 • WRC2 Open #10 • WRC2 Junior #10 • WRC2 Masters #10 • WRC3 Junior #5 [coef 2] • WRC3 Open #10
8. 9. – 11. 9. 2022, Lamia • Motorsport Greece + OMAE • gravel 303.30 km • total distance including road sections - 1189.42 km • Other years
Info
SS16
"It has been a tough season so far and to get the victory after a very difficult weekend in Belgium is a relief. The most important thing is we have a 1-2-3 for the team - after all these years we finally got it and it's a historical moment for the brand and the team. Everybody has worked hard for this and it's a nice reward."
"If you want to fight for a championship, the decision to have no team orders was wrong. If you want to have good PR, it's a good decision. It depends how you look at it. It's a shame - all of Friday we were carrying a hybrid issue."
"This time was lucky because everybody retired! I am happy for the team. If we can finish 1-2-3 it will be nice because they really deserve it. We had some really bad moments in the beginning and the people back in the factory really deserve this result."
"It's a big step this weekend. I think everybody will learn a lot during the season and we have progressed quite well. Big thanks to the team - they did such an amazing job on my car all weekend."
"The last part of the stage was incredibly rough and I struggled in some places. Our speed has been good and from our side we haven't made any mistakes. I'm gutted about what happened on Friday but that's how the cards were dealt to us this time."
"We had an issue before the stage and I completely lost my concentration. I was looking at the dashboard and I went a bit wide. We had quite a mess of a weekend. For the next one we need to find the confidence again."
Puncture
"I don't think it's going to be the fastest time. I had to push everywhere in the rough parts, but I tried, so let's see what happens. I have done many good and bad weekends but this is one of the worst ones."
Off road moment
"Now it's time to go back with the loved ones. There has been some sickness this week as well so I want to go home and hug them all."
"The lines were quite narrow, even with a few cars ahead of us. The road is going to keep getting faster and faster but I gave it a good shot, so let's see."
"This win came by our pace and I am so happy, honestly. I knew when we came here that it could be a good rally for us, but there are always question marks and lots of risks. We really managed it well and I am very grateful to the team for providing us with a car which could survive in these conditions."
"Rossel rolled? I think he saved my life, because I saw the triangle and tried to do the hairpin more safe! I didn't take any risks here because it was really rough towards the end."
Rolled, stopped
SS15
"One stage left and it's going to be a tough one. Nothing is done yet but we are going to have a steady run."
"I know. Before this stage we were told to hold the position, so no more pushing."
"After Evans retired it's a really different prospect. I was really slow in here - I want to bring the car to the end of the rally and that's it."
"We took it very carefully in this one. The target is to finish and that's what I am concentrating on."
"It's nice. The car feels good and I'd love to be in the heat of a battle fighting because we definitely have the tools to do it."
"After the last one we changed a few things and it felt so much better. It's still challenging so now I just to focus on the Power Stage and bring the car home."
"I think we have been in survival mode since yesterday. There is not much we can do in this situation and the goal is to finish now."
"I wasn't expecting the Power Stage to get much quicker, but this one here will clean even more. Quite slippy."
"Horrendously loose in there. I wasn't going anywhere for the majority of the stage and I was short-shifting up to fourth to try and gain some traction."
SS14
"It was a push. We know it's probably not enough, but we will keep pushing. We can only do our vesy best at the moment."
"I am really disappointed for Evans. He had an issue with the car I think. For us, it's a little easier now. I am sure Elfyn would have put us under pressure to take this place, but rally is sometimes like this and it's not far. Anyway, we are happy from our side."
"We did a good stage with no mistakes, so it's fine. It's not easy and the road is already rough."
"It's easy when you have a decent road position! The car feels amazing - which makes it a bit more frustrating this morning!"
"I wanted to have a new day, but it feels very difficult. It's not easy. We made some changes but it's still difficult."
Mechanical on the road section
"Really slim, or none. Let's see. There's no pace to do anything else."
"Pretty good. I am very happy. The conditions are pretty normal with no surprises. It's all okay."
"The issue we had meant we couldn't run the engine and the guys changed a lot of parts to get us back today. It's a learning day, so we can enjoy that."
SS13
Gearbox issues
"Was there a problem on start of stage? A little bit, yeah..."
Mechanical
Stopped
"I was very careful and I didn't take any risks to finish the day. It was important to come back in this position. The team did an amazing job in service because they changed the gearbox and diff, so thank you to them."
"My tyres weren't so good on the last few stages and I was just trying to drive clean to avoid punctures."
"It was difficult. We need to protect the position of the two cars in front in case something happens."
"We are here. Still not where we should be, but we are here."
"It was pretty bad to be honest. Could have been a bit better if I didn't make the mistake, but it's done now. I can't change things."
"I had a spin and I had to reverse. It was a bit of a mess, but okay. All good."
"Rough and tough and hot! When everyone else hit dramas, we had absolutely none. It's been a clean day but it would have been nice for us to have that yesterday. The car's fast enough, we just haven't had the best road position."
SS12
"We have some small things, so we need to go and see what we can do."
"Honestly, I drove really clean all the time in the line. I think it will be difficult with the tyres for the next stage."
"So far it's all good. We need to go, though."
"It's interesting. Quite different conditions than the others and, for sure, anything could happen here. I was just coming through slowly."
"I was not struggling, but the hybrid system is struggling. I have no hybrid - again!"
Stopped - continued
"Quite okay. All is fine, no problem."
SS11
Puncture
"I missed a braking point. I had an engine problem and I was more focused on that."
Off road moment
"All okay. I have some sensor problems, but luckily it's only for the tyres and it doesn't matter. A very clean stage from my side."
"I have to go..."
"I need to go... it's all good but I need to go."
Off road moment
"Hot! I can't believe it. It's hot on your feet on the brake pedal! Not so bad in there, it was quite okay."
"It's not easy. We are just trying to come through the stages - there is not much we can do. We are here."
"It's a little bit better than the morning, but I was sliding everywhere. Every corner I was drifting. It's not easy."
Mechanical
Mechanical
SS10
The stage was dry. There was a lot of cleaning, especially at the end. We lost time in the last part of the stage.
Rolled
Second retirement (gearbox failure) -> Super Rally
"Nothing speical. We just went wide and hit the rear on something. I was struggling this morning like yesterday. Going flat-out everywhere and still being slow is not easy,"
"I am surprised. We had a good clean run this morning and I think the tyre choice was good as well but I struggled a bit with the balance at the rear and I had to adapt a bit. It's good that we can extend a lead on a loop like this - it gives us confidence for the afternoon, but there is still a long way to go."
"Let's talk about how your day has been! The weather is nice, so it's good. I am just trying to keep it on the road - I can not do more. It's very challenging for us at the moment."
"No luck, but what can I say. I didn't touch anything in the previous stage but it will turn. We have showed our pace and everything will be good."
"In the previous stage we had some problem with the differential and it's causing the tyres to wear."
"Disappointing for everybody. Nobody can get a break - it's not just me. So many people have put in so much work and it's all unravelled for them. That stage was incredibly slippery and I couldn't enjoy it."
"Every stage is very slippery, so it's not different in here. I don't feel any grip. I have no traction and it's very tough. I am doing what I can but it's still not working."
"Very loose in there. The wheels are spinning a lot and it's not easy."
"I'm kind of surprised because the car was cutting out throughout the stage. For sure, we lost quite a lot of time because of that."
Stopped to let Tanak pass him
Little engine issues
SS9
Puncture
Technical issues on road section -> working on car to fix the problem
Damaged rear after hitting a tree
SS8
"It was very slippery and I was really surprised. It's okay - we did what we can. It was tricky."
"The Hyundais are pushing and I was pushing! It's very difficult - long, demanding and very tough and slippery in some places. It was important to make it through without any mistakes."
Stopped
"I can not do better. It's too hard a job for the moment."
"I had a good stage. Carrying two spare wheels was a bit of a handicap in there, but it will be interesting to see the tyre wear now. Hopefully this strategy pays off and we had a clean run."
"It's okay. Ott is our team-mate and if he is making these times then it's fine!"
"I tried to push. The end is still very loose and this will clean, but the beginning is not so bad. It was a good stage, but it was so long - like a never-ending story!"
"I seem to be struggling with the car when it turns right. It's making it very difficult to find a rhythm."
"It was quite okay. Very mixed grip to be honest, but let's see."
"I think this is the maximum pace I can drive at the moment. We did some changes today and it felt better in the cockpit. The driving was quite normal so I'm not sure what else we can do."
"I don't feel the grip so it's really hard. Not so comfortable."
"I had quite a lot of dust in the second half of the stage - I think we took a couple of minutes out of Jourdan. The car felt really nice and I enjoyed it."
"It was quite nice at the beginning, but for the last nine kilometres we had a lot of cleaning and we lost a lot of time from that side. Okay, it's part of the game."
SS7
Puncture
"We can be happy with what we have done. We had an issue with the brakes at the beginning of the stage and something with the power steering at the end. I didn't want to take any risks and I just brought the car home. It's amazing - it's like a dream to be fighting with Loeb."
"Happy with that. Every time I wanted to brake I had to press the entire pedal to the floor. I saw that a road position was possible to gain and I think we've possibly got one."
"I made some modifications to the car and I tried to push more. I have a good feeling with the car now and it's working better. It was not a great day for me but at least we are here."
"I decided to try really hard in this one because I was losing too much time in the last one and I didn't feel too confident. So I said 'okay, I need to finish on a good rhythm'. There was a stone in the ground which I hit sideways and it lifted the car. It's no problem."
"It's fine for me. I am very happy with the day to be fair - I have been driving pretty well."
"I had this stupid rubber door seal coming down. It was getting stuck on my arm all the time. That's just how the day was going."
"I am struggling today and it was not so enjoyable. I learned some things from a few stages and I will try to improve tomorrow. This is the situation."
"It was enjoyable. I am happy to finish the day and tomorrow the road position should be a bit better. The car was working quite okay and we had a really clean run throughout the day."
"I had to try hard to try and get some kind of road position for tomorrow and I did everything I could in here. We have been carrying a faulty hybrid unit for half of the day."
"It's been tough. It felt a bit better in here but we're just missing the grip a bit. I don't know."
"Hopefully we can do a bit more when we have a better starting position."
SS6
"Hopefully we can do a bit more when we have a better starting position."
"If I try and match those guys I will go off the road and maybe we will lose one minute! I have no confidence at the moment but I am trying to do my best. I want to try and keep close to the others but it's not easy."
"It's very slippery. I lost some time being out of the line but I have just been focusing on trying to keep things tidy today."
"What is it about today that's so special? The car, the co-driver, everyone!"
"I think Lappi is very fast now. I did quite a good stage, so there's no real reason for the time loss."
"I am not comparing my times with Rovanperä. I am looking at the guys behind who are in a close position. It wasn't great to be honest - I struggled with the balance and I had quite a bit of understeer."
"The car is nice, it has to be said, and the other guys are doing a great job. It's a pleasure but also incredibly frustrating for us."
"I was not really pushing but I was clean all the time. I was braking early to ensure we would be on the correct line in the exits. Not a push, but efficient."
SS5
Off road
"No?! That's good. It was close so many times this year and we deserve this one. I had good pace notes and it was good driving, but I am a bit surprised."
"In one of the hairpins I had a warning light. It distracted me and I missed the junction. It's not good."
"My feeling was bad. My pace notes were not good and I struggled a lot."
"I was a bit too late after a flat left to brake for a hairpin and I couldn't rotate the car. I had to reverse."
"It's not cleaning so much now. I am surprised about the time because it was not really easy from my side. Maybe my tyres are not in the best condition."
"It's a good step. That stage is cleaning like hell and I'm just so frustrated with what happened before. I was completely in the middle of the road and we didn't touch it."
"It's better, but it's very slippery and feeling-wise it's uncomfortable. It's strange but I will try to do something."
"I don't know about the time, but I did what I could. The handling was completely different here compared to the other stages - it was a different profile. For this kind of stage I need to work on the chassis."
"It was really awful. The grip was so, so bad and it will be a massive cleaning effect for everybody coming through. It was hard to find confidence in here."
"Yeah, it's a lot of cleaning. We could follow Kalle's lines but without hybrid and a lot of uphill hairpins it was a big struggle."
"There was no grip. A really difficult stage with a lot of cleaning and even less grip than in the stages this morning. Not easy."
SS4
Transmission
"I have to go - I have no brakes!"
"It felt okay - but I had no brakes all the way down the hill. There was no bite when I first touched the brakes, so it was hard to have any confidence coming down there."
"We had more grip in the stage and I feel more confident with the car. I enjoyed this a bit more but still the other cars are fast."
"There is so much gravel and stones coming from the wheels of the car - maybe this caused something. It's nothing special."
"It felt that I overheated the tyres, so the end was very slippery. I was a bit too wide and off the line a few times, but otherwise it was a very clean run."
"I don't know. I seem to be getting it all at this point."
"I am not happy, actually. It's really challenging for me and I need to focus more."
Changed a puncture
"It's just rocky more than anything. The ground is very, very hard."
"Before the stage on the road section we lost the hybrid. It's affecting the driveability quite a bit now, so we will just try to get through."
"A bit more of a clean now, so that's better. There are some rough places but we are here without any issues and that's the main thing."
SS3
Retirement - Steering
Double puncture
First retirement (damaged suspension) -> Super Rally
"It was a bit more tricky and I was more careful with the car in this one. I think it would be possible to do better, but it's okay."
"It was okay. It felt like a clean drive. Séb's a nine-time world champion for a reason! He's always the benchmark."
"I don't have a lot of confidence in the fast sections. It was very slippery at the rear and quite difficult to keep the car in a line."
"It felt okay. The car is working really well and the stages are twisty with some big stones at the side. It's not easy for the tyres, but overall I have done a good stage."
"I tried my best but it's tricky. It's hard to keep the car on the road. I didn't have any moments but it feels like we are sliding all the time. Maybe some grip would be nice."
"Quite okay. It was in the back of my mind but I tried not to think about it. There was no dust that time and we got through."
"I don't know, but for myself it's not working. I need to do something."
"It was okay. It's cleaning and all the cars behind are going faster. It is what it is and we will try to keep fighting."
"It was much better in there now. Everything is fine."
"In some places it's still tricky, but for sure now it's possible to see! This stage is very loose and you just need to drive through."
"I think we are just not having the right things on the car at the moment. Let's see what we can do. This one was quite okay at the beginning, but in the middle it was horrible. It feels like the car is not working in the low-speed sections and I think we are going to lose some time."
SS2
"Okay, good! Difficult with the dust. Who did the best time - Loeb?!"
"In the first six kilometres everything felt good, but then we hit the dust and it's so hard to see. Reference points are tricky enough as it is in Greece, but with the dust it's even trickier."
"It was really bad with the pace notes and a lot of dust. We were in the dust in many places and in one place I went a little bit off the road. Quite bad."
"It was a good stage, but really not easy with the sun and the dust, and it's very slippery in some places. I had a little alert with the brakes - maybe they are overheating a bit - but it's no problem at all."
"Okay. Everything is good - the dust is an issue, but it's the same for everybody except Kalle. I was pretty careful in the dust but other than that it was clean."
"The dust was really bad in places, but it was quite an okay stage. We had a handy enough rhythm and I'm happy to get through."
"Tough in places - I couldn't see and my pace notes are really bad. There's a long way to go."
"We have no visibility - sometimes you are flat-out in fifth gear and all of a sudden there is nothing."
"The dust is difficult. It's difficult to find a rhythm and everything, but okay."
"Nobody cares about the balance if you can't see anything. It's challenging."
"Being first on the road here is not easy. Really low grip and I think our car's grip is not good either. We will try to do our best with the situation."
SS1
Damaged left and right side of rear of car. Heat fom exhaust started to melt rear bumper.
"For sure, not the most enjoyable stage but one of the coolest I have ever done. When you drive for a crowd like this then these kinds of stages are worth it."
"It's an incredible atmosphere. We are doing a big sport but even these things don't happen too often to us. It was really good fun."
"It's like it should always be - such great crowds and atmosphere. Congratulations to the organisers for putting this in place for us and for all the spectators who came today. It shows that it's possible to bring huge crowds to the WRC and we should look to do more on other events as well."
"Pretty difficult! Not the greatest run from us, but of course it's a nice setting to start the event."
"It's going to be a challenging weekend, so I need to be smart and I will try to find a good rhythm. It's a big challenge for everybody, so I will try to manage it."
"Incredibly special atmosphere here. I'm just happy to not make any mistakes and get through it. There's a very tough rally ahead of us and this was only the first hurdle."
"I think it's only cosmetic. I locked the wheels under braking and then I couldn't restart the engine. That's how it is."
"After we crossed the finish line I could hear the fans. It's impressive to see so many people inside this stadium - it's an incredible atmosphere."
"It was good. A very slippery stage but it's really nice because there is a lot of people. It's easy to make a mistake here so we took it easy and we'll see what happens tomorrow."
"Not nervous - excited for sure! We all saw what Andreas did. It's quite a long rally and hopefully we can get through it."
Hit a barrier
"It's unbelievable to see this. We are very lucky and it was nice. Unfortunately with the recce we did it was not easy and I saw Andreas' mistake, so I was very careful."
"That's amazing - once in a lifetime! Greek people are crazy - now we know why!"
Hit a barrier, damaged a front left wheel