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Why it could be “even harder” for an Ogier WRC treble in Greece
Sebastien Ogier has so far dominated the World Rally Championship’s rough gravel rallies, winning in Portugal and Sardinia, but this weekend’s Acropolis Rally Greece is likely to be harder to crack.
Last month’s triumph in Portugal, followed by an impressive run to victory in Sardinia, has elevated the eight-time world champion to second in the championship standings.
While Ogier has ruled out the prospect of transforming his part-time campaign into further rounds to contend for the title, the Toyota driver’s recent success could work against him in Greece this weekend.
Aiming to claim a hat-trick of consecutive wins for the first time since 2016, he will face the disadvantage of starting second on the dusty gravel roads behind championship leader Elfyn Evans, who will tackle the worst of the conditions on Friday.
Road cleaning was a factor in Sardinia, although Ogier was able to win from a third-place start on the road - and although he admits a second Acropolis win to follow his 2011 triumph will be difficult, the 41-year-old is up for the challenge.
"Sardinia was a very positive weekend for us and I was back in the car two days later to test for Greece and to try and confirm the good progress we made with the setup,” he said.
"The challenges in Greece are not so different, with high temperatures and a rough and rocky surface, and hopefully we can be strong once more in these conditions.
"It could again be a challenging Friday for the team with our road positions, and this time I’ll be running second so it might be even harder to win this one, but I’m never afraid of any challenge so let’s see what we can do.”
Toyota has left no stone unturned in its preparations for Acropolis Rally Greece after electing to dip into its allocation of test days to gear up for the hot and rough conditions.
"We had an important test in Greece last week with all the drivers as we look to make another step in the knowledge that our competition is also working hard,” said Toyota team principal Jari-Matti Latvala.
“Greece can suit our drivers well, as the roads there are a bit wider and faster than in Sardinia, and opening the road is usually not quite as tough. Still, there will be some cleaning to do for Elfyn, Seb and Kalle Rovanpera, and they will need a very good Friday to keep themselves in the fight for the rest of the rally.”
The 17-stage rally begins on Thursday night with a stage held in the Greece’s capital city Athens.
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