WRC: Acropolis Rally (2012)

Steve · May 25, 2012

Friday afternoon update. MINI drivers are 12th Araujo, 14th Alkuwari, 16th Nobre.

SS7: Drama for M-Sport duo (WRC.com)

25 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS7, Bauxites 2 (23.17 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œItâ€™s a very fast stage with the average speed not so far from 100kph. You are going up and there is fantastic scenery. You can still see some snow on the mountains and at the same time you can see some sea. Itâ€™s quite amazing and on this stage itâ€™s fast so you have a little time to look at the scenery. Itâ€™s a very stony ground - where there are mines and lots of big trucks - and this makes it very challenging. It was on this stage where Evgeny [Novikov] became the youngest driver to score a fastest stage time in the WRC when he was driving for Citroen in 2009.â€

How the action unfolded:

M-Sport Ford drivers Evgeny Novikov and Ott Tanak both lost ground on stage seven of the Acropolis Rally, as Ford World Rally Team man Jari-Matti Latvala trimmed a little out of Sebastien Loeb's overall lead.

Tanak's delay was the most costly, as he went off the road and damaged his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. The Estonian had been running seventh, but lost over eight minutes in the incident.

"We made a correction on the pacenotes durng the previous [running of the stage] and we made it to the wrong place, the corner before, and we were too fast," Tanak confessed. "We went off and came back on, but we got a puncture, and then bent the suspension."

Novikov dropped just over a minute with a mechanical issue, dropping from fifth to seventh, behind Mads Ostberg (Adapta Ford) and Thierry Neuville (Citroen Junior).

"We had a problem with the engine. It's not a misfire, maybe something with the turbo, I don't know," said Novikov.

Up front, Latvala took the stage win by 0.7s from Loeb, bringing the gap to the Citroen down to 9.4s.

"Okay, there is quite a distance to Loeb, but now we are going in the right way," said Latvala, who was happier with his car's behaviour after changes at service.

Loeb had finished the stage close behind the delayed Novikov and Tanak, but said it had not cost him any time.

"It was okay, I saw a little bit of dust. I heard Tanak had stopped, so I was thinking he had started just before me," said Loeb. "I didn't lose any time with it."

Just behind the lead battle, Petter Solberg's repaired Ford was slighlty quicker than Mikko Hirvonen's Citroen, leaving them a second apart in the fight for third. Solberg said fixing the damage from his stage six impact had not been too difficult after all, even with the limitations of remote service.

"The impact knocked the rear diff up into the subframe and the propshaft was touching the subframe," Solberg explained.

"We'd lost some bolts but the boys fixed it and we got a spacer in to put some space between the subframe and the diff. None of this was a problem but if we hadn't put the spacer in, it might've been."
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SS8: Solberg reclaims third place (WRC.com)

25 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS8, Elikonas 2 (19.89 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œItâ€™s a very old stage and we used it as a test stage with Citroen and Peugeot many times. Itâ€™s very rough and tough and for the second time around, for the tyres, it will be a disaster. Itâ€™s very difficult but at the same time itâ€™s beautiful. I would say this stage is the heart of the Acropolis Rally.â€

How the action unfolded:

Petter Solberg reclaimed third place from Mikko Hirvonen on stage eight of the Acropolis Rally.

Firmly back on the pace after his stage six scare, Solberg was quickest on the repeat of the Elikonas stage, and his pace coupled with a disappointing time for his Citroen rival saw the Ford not just take third place overall, but pull nearly eight seconds clear of Hirvonen, who has not been happy with his car's handling this afternoon.

But although Ford could celebrate reclaiming third, the advantage remains with Citroen in the outright lead battle.

Jari-Matti Latvala had trimmed a few fractions from Sebastien Loeb's lead on the preceding stage and looked like he was set to make greater inroads on Elikonas, only for Loeb to respond with a charge through the final kilometres after the split times alerted him to Latvala's progress.

"I was pushing hard. I saw Petter and Jari-Matti taking a bit of time, so I pushed really, really hard at the end of the stage. If I could do more, I'd do more. It's flat-out," Loeb declared.

Latvala ended up dropping 0.8s to Loeb, to his frustration.

"I thought I was driving well, but I'm a bit disappointed," he said.

Behind the leaders, there were myriad dramas in the rest of the World Rally car field.

Fifth-placed Mads Ostberg is nursing a driveshaft he feels is on the brink of failing in his Adapta Ford, while sixth position man Thierry Neuville said his Citroen Junior-entered DS3 WRC was also developing a transmission issue near the end of the stage.

Evgeny Novikov managed to fix the turbo issue on his M-Sport Ford before the stage, only for a loose gear selector to cause further time loss on stage eight. The Russian's team-mate Ott Tanak had to retire on the road section due to the damage his car sustained on the previous stage.
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I think the timing system computer must have had a hiccup because this article says Hirvonen had a puncture but the official timing says he had a great stage and jumped from 4th to 1st...

SS9: Latvala keeps Loeb on his toes (WRC.com)

25 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS9, Thiva 2 (23.60 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œThis is a classic stage and I remember finding a parking place on this stage in 1999 with Didier Auriol when we took a wheel off. Juha Kankkunen also took the wheel off but he was able to finish the stage. It was a very old stone we hit because it was hidden under the grass on the side of the road. It was the end of our rally then but itâ€™s a very nice stage and we have something like 60 junctions so plenty of opportunities for spectators.â€

How the action unfolded:

Jari-Matti Latvala reduced Sebastien Loeb's Acropolis Rally lead to 6.5s at the end of Friday's action in Greece.

The Ford man's stage win on the second run through Thiva saw him beat Loeb by 3.7s, as the Citroen driver struggled slightly with visibility as numerous delayed cars ahead kicked up dust.

Latvala's team-mate Petter Solberg also took time out of Loeb on Thiva, and heads for the overnight break 18.7s off the lead.

In the second Citroen, fourth-placed Mikko Hirvonen lost time with a puncture - which he suspected was a result of some excursions while blinded by dust.

"There was so much dust, I missed a corner completely and went wide. We went off a couple of times, just wide and hitting banks," he said. "Maybe one of those caused the puncture."

The dust ahead was largely created by Mads Ostberg and Thierry Neuville, both of whom had issues on the stage. Ostberg went off the road, losing around three minutes, while Neuville struggled with a broken driveshaft and dropped five minutes as he grappled with a new rear-wheel-drive-only Citroen DS3 WRC.

Ostberg was frustrated both with himself and with the spectators he had hoped would help get his Adapta Ford back on the road.

"I was understeering quite a lot and still I tried to push," said Ostberg. "We were not far off the road, not a bad place at all, but we just got stuck and it took quite a lot of time to get people to help us. They were more interested in taking pictures."

Ostberg and Neuville's issues mean Evgeny Novikov (M-Sport Ford) and Martin Prokop (Czech Ford) move into the top six.
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Steve · May 25, 2012

Highlights video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRjG4569HNM]Day 1 Highlights - 2012 Acropolis Rally of Greece - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · May 26, 2012

Nobre pleased with day-one progress (WRC.com)

26 May 12

Paulo Nobre says running first on the road on the opening day of the Acropolis Rally helped him to build his experience of competing in the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

The WRC MINI Team Portugal driver completed day one in 16th overall following a trouble-free performance but said at the final service in Loutraki on Friday night that he felt â€œdestroyedâ€ due to the tough challenge he faced.

â€œItâ€™s always a challenge to open the road but if I am first on the road or last on the road itâ€™s still a challenge because this is the World Rally Championship,â€ said Nobre, whose team-mate Armindo Araujo is 12th starting day two. â€œBut Iâ€™m not competing with these guys in front of me, Iâ€™m competing against myself to get better and better and to have the experience. I feel destroyed after a very hard day but itâ€™s a nice feeling to finish a day without problems.â€

WRC MINI Team Portugal manager Bruno De Pianto said: â€œMy crews did a good job today, both of them completed the day without major problems facing extremely difficult conditions. Iâ€™m equally proud of the work the rest of the team carried out, everybody is working long hours and always giving thir best.â€
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Steve · May 26, 2012

Saturday midday wrap: Loeb heads thriller (WRC.com)

26 May 12

Sebastien Loeb leads the Acropolis Rally by 2.2s after the first four stages of what is considered to be the toughest day of round six of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia due to the punishing nature of the rock-strewn all-gravel stages.

Driving a Citroen DS3 WRC, Loeb started stage 13 just one second ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC but was able to open up a slender advantage heading to the midday service halt in Loutraki after going 1.2s faster than Latvala through the 21.36-kilometre Ziria test, a new addition to the Acropolis route for 2012.

Petter Solberg is third for the factory Ford team with Mikko Hirvonen next up in the second works Citroen. Both drivers have reported being more cautious than their rapid team-mates out in front.

Mads Ostberg has climbed up to sixth in his Adapta Fiesta, despite a driveshaft glitch slowing him down through stage 12. The Norwegian is just 2.4s behind Martin Prokop, who inherited fifth place when Evgeny Novikov failed to start stage 13 with a water pump failure.

Nasser Al-Attiyah is seventh for the Qatar World Rally Team with Volkswagen Motorsport drivers Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen eighth and ninth respectively in their Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabias. Mikkelsen admitted running with no spare hard compound tyres had been a mistake - he selected two soft tyres instead thinking it might rain - while a bent steering arm troubled Ogier through stage 11. Citroen Junior driver Thierry Neuville holds 10th place.

There was early disappointment for Paulo Nobre when the Brazilian struck a rock in his MINI John Cooper Works WRC seven kilometres from the start of the dayâ€™s opening stage. He drove on for a few hundred metres before a wheel broke and forced him to retire. Team-mate Armindo Araujo is just outside of the top 10.

Brazil World Rally Teamâ€™s Daniel Oliveira restarted on day two having withdrawn on Friday morning due to illness. Ott Tanak is also continuing under Rally 2 rules but reported a lack of confidence in his M-Sport Fiesta.

After 12 stages Nicolas Fuchs was the comfortable leader over Valeriy Gorban in the Production Car World Rally Championship. Subhan Aksa had been second but reported a handful of overshoots in the early stages.

Following Saturdayâ€™s second stage Elfyn Evans held top spot in the WRC Academy after Alastair Fisher and Pontus Tidemand both hit trouble on the run. Fisher took more than one minute longer than Evans to complete the stage after rolling on a slow corner while a broken driveshaft led to Tidemandâ€™s exit.

Following a 30-minute service halt in Loutraki, crews will head to the repeat of the Klenia Mycenae stage, which gets underway at 15:17hrs local time.
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Steve · May 26, 2012

Steve · May 26, 2012

SS14: Puncture wrecks Latvala's hopes (WRC.com)

26 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS14, Klenia Mycenae 2 (17.41 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œThere are lot of rocks on Saturdayâ€™s stages but in the first stage you have the feeling you are in New Zealand but you have a lot of trees instead of sheep on the side of the road. Itâ€™s a nice flowing road with some really fast sections at the start but then we turn left after six kilometres and start the rocks and bumps. Sebastien Loeb crashed really heavily on this stage in 2009 because on this stage you have high-speed stuff then all of a sudden slow, narrow roads with stones on the side so itâ€™s not so easy. Mikko Hirvonen had a big moment on this stage last year about when he nearly hit a tree.â€

How the action unfolded:
Jari-Matti Latvalaâ€™s bid for victory on the Acropolis Rally has suffered a huge setback on stage 14 of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia qualifier.

Latvala started the test 2.2s behind eight-time world champion Sebastien Loeb but picked up a slow right-rear puncture early in the stage, eventually having to stop to change the damaged wheel approximately four kilometres from the finish.

The factory Ford driver was 3m23.4s slower than stage winner Loeb completing the run and now slips to fourth, 3m32.6s behind his Citroen rival. Petter Solberg, who was second fastest, 1.8s down on Loeb, is now Fordâ€™s big hope for victory with the Norwegian 21.9s down on top spot.

â€œIt was my mistake,â€ said Latvala. â€œI was slightly wide at the beginning of the stage and hit a bank. There was a little touch but there was something sharp [in the bank] and it broke the tyre. Itâ€™s very disappointing. Normally with a slow puncture I should be able to drive for quite a long time but unfortunately I broke the wheel and we had to stop to change it.â€

Mikko Hirvonen was third quickest through the stage and climbs to third in the overall standings following Latvalaâ€™s woe. The Finn reported overshooting a junction in his Citroen.

With replacement driveshafts fitted to his Adapta Fiesta at midday service in Loutraki, Mads Ostberg has closed to within 0.8s of fifth-placed Martin Prokop, who said he wasnâ€™t prepared to do battle with his Norwegian rival.

â€œI couldnâ€™t fight with him because I saw his speed in the morning,â€ said Prokop. â€œThe stones are too much for the car in this stage so I have to slow down.â€

Nasser Al-Attiyah reached the stage finish with his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen running in rear-wheel-drive only after a front driveshaft broke during the stage. â€œWeâ€™ll see if we can continue - we phone the team now to check,â€ said Al-Attiyah.

Thierry Neuville edged closer to Volkswagen Motorsport drivers Sebastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen despite not taking any risks in his Citroen Junior World Rally Team DS3 WRC.

Armindo Araujo said his MINI John Cooper Works WRC was running faultlessly as he continues to maintain his cautious approach in an effort to ensure a finish.

Daniel Oliveira, running first on the road in his Brazil World Rally Team Fiesta, said the stage was rougher than before but added that he felt the grip level had improved.
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Steve · May 26, 2012

SS15: Loeb drops time as rain falls (WRC.com)

26 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS15, Ghymno 2 (17.61 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œThis is the toughest stage of the rally. The first part is uphill with a lot of hairpins, then you have a very fast part in the middle and then you go down the hill and you have a feeling you are in a riverbed with rocks on the side. You are going very fast and itâ€™s never ending for about 12 kilometres. The second time around I donâ€™t know how weâ€™re going to get through because itâ€™s a really big challenge. There are a lot of loose stones and if one is moved onto the line, even if you are cautious, you cannot go around because the road is so narrow.â€

How the action unfolded:
The drama continues on the Acropolis Rally with rain falling on stage 15. Sebastien Loeb, the event leader, reported rain falling as he started the run and then intensifying as he approached the rocky downhill section.

â€œWe had a lot of rain in the stage and it was very slippery on the wet stones in the downhill,â€ said the Citroen driver, who has won the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia for the last eight seasons. â€œFor sure it was so rough that I did not take any big risks. Iâ€™m still leading so weâ€™ll see.â€

Petter Solberg was fastest through the stage by a margin of 6.4s over Loeb in his factory Ford Fiesta to trim Loebâ€™s advantage out front to 15.5s. Nevertheless the Norwegian insists he wonâ€™t be taking any risks in his pursuit of victory.

â€œThis is the worst stage of the whole rally, itâ€™s unbelievable,â€ said Solberg. â€œI raised the car very high just before the start not thinking about performance but just surviving. There is no point trying to push, trying to be a hero. Itâ€™s difficult to gain time when you are second. Itâ€™s so important for the championship that I have to be clever. Letâ€™s see what happens to Loeb.â€

Sebastien Ogier tackled the entire stage with no working powersteering on his Volkswagen Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia S2000. He told WRC Live that his arms were â€œcompletely destroyedâ€ at the stage finish. He slips behind team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen to ninth overall.

Jari-Matti Latvala is competing with no right-rear brake on his Fiesta as a result of the wheel damage incurred on the previous stage when he dropped out of the lead battle. The Finn was eighth quickest in his Fiesta.

Armindo Araujo started the stage with a bent compression strut but failed to get to the end when a wheel came off. Nasser Al-Attiyah failed to start the stage due to the driveshaft failure he suffered on stage 14.
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Steve · May 26, 2012

What's a compression strut?

Frustration for Araujo and Al-Attiyah (WRC.com)

26 May 12

Armindo Araujo and Nasser Al-Attiyah have retired from day two of the Acropolis Rally, round six of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

Araujo completed stage 14 in 11th overall but did so with a bent compression strut on his MINI John Cooper Works WRC. Despite his best efforts, the WRC Team MINI Portugal driver was unable to make it through the following test, ranked as the toughest of the Greek event, when a wheel became detached from his car. It is understood the Portuguese will restart under Rally 2 rules on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Al-Attiyah did not start stage 15 after his Qatar World Rally Team Citroen DS3 WRC suffered a broken driveshaft on stage 14. Al-Attiyah was on course for seventh place when he hit trouble.

Jari-Matti Latvala and Sebastien Ogier are also in trouble with Latvala competing with no working right-rear brake, while Ogier suffered power steering failure on stage 15.
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Steve · May 26, 2012

SS17: Solberg closes on Loeb (WRC.com)

26 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS17, Ziria 2 (21.36 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œThis is a new stage for 2012. The first part is going up on a rocky bed with hairpins, very bad for the tyres. Then itâ€™s like motorway and for 15 kilometres the speed will be more than 120kph. Theyâ€™ve put three or four chicanes in this section but itâ€™s still very, very fast. The scenery is so beautiful - you are about 2400 metres high. There is still some snow in the mountains. The last four kilometres are very twisty.â€

How the action unfolded:
Petter Solberg has cut Sebastien Loebâ€™s lead of the Acropolis Rally to 10.2s starting the final day of round six of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

Solberg, in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC, completed Saturdayâ€™s last stage 3.9s faster than Citroen DS3 WRC driver Loeb, who reported driving in heavy rain at the start of the 21.36-kilometre test.

â€œI didnâ€™t take any risks at all and I was hoping to get some time back so itâ€™s fantastic,â€ said Solberg. â€œI would like to have it a bit less than 10s but it will be very interesting tomorrow.â€

Loeb said: â€œHe was faster than me in the stage, we had heavy rain at the start, so we will see for tomorrow. We have to hold onto the lead, I am ready for a fight.â€

Mads Ostberg and Jari-Matti Latvala shared the third-fastest time with the latterâ€™s performance particularly noteworthy due to his ongoing brake problem.

â€œThat was the best I can do with three brakes, I canâ€™t drive any better than this,â€ said Ford driver Latvala. â€œThe hairpins are so difficult because I canâ€™t use the handbrake. Now we are at the finish of the day so letâ€™s get things sorted out on the car in service so we can concentrate on tomorrow.â€

Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi has moved into the top 10 in his Fiesta RRC after he set the 11th fastest time.

Crews are now on their way back to the service park in Loutraki. Sundayâ€™s action resumes with the 19.42-kilometre Aghii Theodori stage at 09:14hrs local time.
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Steve · May 26, 2012

Day 2 highlights video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkyUDqWTUZM]Day 2 Highlights - 2012 Acropolis Rally of Greece - Best-of-RallyLive - YouTube[/ame]

ronnie948 · May 26, 2012

One hour highlights will be on speed chanel

May 28th at 1:AM it will be on Brighthouse canel 32 speedvision. I'll record it and watch when I get up.

That is May 28th. at 1:am in the middle of the night on Speedvision. Which is the start of Monday.

Steve · May 26, 2012

This says "both" but there are three MINIs and the other one is still running, so far without incident.

Both MINIs to restart final day at the Acropolis Rally (RallySportLive.com)

By RSL Staff â€“ May 26, 2012

We all knew this was going to be a tough day but it ended up being eventful from start to finish for the WRC Team MINI Portugal squad. With both Paulo and Armindoâ€™s retirements from the day the mechanics had a lot of work to do to make sure both MINIs would be on top form and back for more action tomorrow. Itâ€™s hard for a Team Manager to report when both of his crews have retired but that is rally and the only thing to do now is put today behind us and look forward to a fresh start in the morning.

The day started with four competitive stages, for a total of 74.78km, before the cars headed back to the Service Park in Loutraki. After being on the road all day yesterday, it was nice for the team to all be together and to have the chance to catch up with the fans and other teams in the service park, while always keeping an eye on the split times and tracking system. Of course, although weâ€™re always focused on our drivers, itâ€™s interesting to watch and see how all the other guys are progressing through the stages. On a tough rally like this one anything can happen after all â€“ just like it did in Portugal earlier in the year. Ultimately, what everyone wants to see is a fantastic rally where the sporting competition is at as high a level as possible and everyone has the opportunity to drive to the best of their potential.

Unfortunately â€“ it wasnâ€™t to be our day for that! As we were keeping track of the driversâ€™ progress on the first stage of the day â€“ Klenia Mycenae I â€“ disaster struck 6.7km into the stage when Pauloâ€™s MINIâ€™s compression strut broke after an impact and he lost the front left wheel.

Meanwhile Armindo made his way through the treacherous morning stages not focused on sheer speed but on getting his MINI back to service in one piece â€“ and so he did and â€“ quite amazingly given the conditions â€“ in top form! While the mechanics were working on his car, Armindo went for a ride around the service park on the signed custom made WRC Team MINI Portugal one-ofâ€“aâ€“kind bike which is for auction to raise money for the Hellenic Society for Disabled Children. Weâ€™re all very proud that our bike currently has the highest bid and weâ€™re very happy that weâ€™re helping to raise money for such a good cause.

As Armindo left for the afternoon loop, Pauloâ€™s car arrived back from SS10 and the guys started the three hours work session allowed by the Rally 2 regulations. They made repairs to the damaged wheel but they also checked the whole MINI over to ensure it was good to go for the last day of the Acropolis Rally.

Unfortunately more bad news came on SS15 â€“ Ghymno 2 â€“ the second stage of the afternoon loop when Armindo retired after damaging a compressor strut on the previous stage, which then broke, his front right wheel slowly becoming unusable. It was a real shame because Armindo had been nursing the car during the whole rally to make sure he would get to the finish on Sunday (ideally successfully completing every stage in the process!) To focus on the positive, the damage is limited and he will be able to restart tomorrow alongside Paulo.

Now Iâ€™m writing on my laptop while watching the service on Armindoâ€™s car. There is still some work to do to prepare everything for tomorrow morning and Iâ€™m quickly debriefing with the crews before we go back to the hotel, snatch just a little sleep and then head right on back to service for the third and final day of Acropolis Rally of Greece.

Ciao!
Bruno De Pianto
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Steve · May 27, 2012

It WAS looking like a great battle for the win today between Loeb and Solberg.....

SS18: Solberg crash leaves path clear for Loeb win (best-of-rallylive.com)

by HervÃ© | 27/05/2012 9:16

Sunday morningâ€™s first stage saw Petter Solberg (Ford/Michelin) crash out of the rally to hand a near-certain win to SÃ©bastien Loeb. Mikko Hirvonen has moved up to second spot, which means CitroÃ«n/Michelin is on target for another one-two finish.

The final leg of the 2012 Acropolis Rally takes survivors into the hills to the east of the casino resort of Loutraki. The dayâ€™s programme features two attempts at a loop of two stages, plus the â€˜Power Stageâ€™ which will use the first part of â€˜Aghii Theodoriâ€™.

We decided to drive to the end of the latter (SS18, 19.42km) to follow the duel between Loeb and Solberg. The last six kilometres of the test were the same as those used for Thursdayâ€™s shakedown and Qualifying Stage, so the drivers knew the portion very well, although the road is obviously rougher here now.

Ford/Michelin privateers Daniel Oliveira and Evgeny Novikov (overheating engine following holed radiator) both re-started this morning under the â€˜Rally2â€™ ruling, but neither went very far before returning to the service park. Nasser Al-Attiyah (CitroÃ«n/Michelin) was also missing at the Stop Control and is thought to have gone off.

A few minutes later, we heard that Petter Solberg had done the same and that he had lost a rear wheel in the process. â€œI got the message over the radio just before the finish of the stage,â€ confirmed Mikko Hirvonen who is now second overall, even though he is almost two minutes behind his CitroÃ«n/Michelin team-mate.

â€œIt looks like he went off on a tightening right-hander,â€ said Loeb. â€œI got the news just before seeing his wheel beside the road. It was difficult to concentrate properly for the rest of the stage. I was going at a good pace to begin with, so Petter needed to find some extra speed, for sure, if he wanted to make up te 10-second gap todayâ€¦â€
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Steve · May 27, 2012

SS19: Loeb extends Acropolis advantage (WRC.com)

27 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS19, New Pissia 1 (11.37 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œThe road is very slippery, especially the last part if itâ€™s raining. The first five kilometres goes uphill and with loose gravel and tight turns. For the next 4.2 kilometres the stage becomes very fast with a good surface. The last two kilometres are narrow, downhill and on a very good surface.â€

How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Loeb has stretched his lead of the Acropolis Rally with another impressive display in his Citroen DS3 WRC. Loeb, who was fastest through stage 19 by 2.3s, now tops the overall classification by 2m01.2s heading to the mid-morning service halt in Loutraki.

â€œI started this stage not wanting to lose completely the rhythm,â€ said Loeb, the winner of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia on eight previous occasions. â€œBut the speed was quite fast so we took it easy again. The feeling is perfect with the car and itâ€™s going well.â€

Jari-Matti Latvala, who was fastest on Sundayâ€™s first test, said there will be no more heroics following Ford team-mate Petter Solbergâ€™s crash on the previous run. â€œThere is no point to take any big risks, we need to get the car to the finish,â€ he said after clocking the third fastest time behind Mads Ostberg.

Mikko Hirvonen was fourth fastest to cement his second position in the overall classification. Thierry Neuville was fifth quickest with Ott Tanak next up.

Crews will have a 30-minute regroup in Loutraki followed by a 30-minute service halt in the town. Stage 20, the second run through Aghii Theodori, goes live at 11:57hrs.
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Steve · May 27, 2012

SS20: Latvala fastest as puncture slows Loeb (WRC.com)

27 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS20, Aghii Theodori 2 (19.42 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œSunday looks like an easy day in comparison to Friday and Saturday and we start with Aghii Theodori. I have to say I donâ€™t like the stages so much in this area around Loutraki because they donâ€™t use natural roads. But we have to deal with them and itâ€™s good we use them because they are convenient for the people living in Loutraki. The first 10 kilometres is on a road of good quality but then you have a lot of surface changes and a variety of turns. Itâ€™s full of successive uphill and downhill sections.â€

How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Loeb continues to lead the Acropolis Rally despite stopping to change a punctured tyre on his Citroen DS3 WRC after approximately three kilometres.

Loeb was more than two minutes in front starting the run but his delay means his margin ahead of team-mate Mikko Hirvonen has been slashed to 40s.

â€œI had a puncture, I donâ€™t know where,â€ said Loeb. â€œIt was on the rear left after three kilometres and I said to Daniel â€˜punctureâ€™ so we decided to change immediately the wheel because it would be impossible to finish without breaking anything. After we pushed. I knew I had a good lead and could do it safely without taking a big risk so thatâ€™s what we have done.â€

Jari-Matti Latvala was fastest through the stage in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC, 4.8s quicker than Mads Ostberg. Ott Tanak was third fastest with Thierry Neuville fourth and Mikko Hirvonen fifth. Loeb was 1m38.2s off the pace.

There are reports that Production Car World Rally Championship leader Nicolas Fuchs is losing time in his Symtech Racing Subaru Impreza.

Several drivers reported conserving their tyres through the stage ahead of the event-closing Power Stage.
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Steve · May 27, 2012

After SS21: Loeb loses time but still leads (best-of-rallylive.com)

by RÃ©my | 27/05/2012 12:41

SÃ©bastien Loeb survived a scare on SS20 but still has a comfortable lead of 38.7 seconds with only the â€˜Power Stageâ€™ remaining. Team-mate Mikko Hirvonen is still second overall and is focusing on securing a one-two finish for CitroÃ«n/Michelin.

After Solbergâ€™s retirement on SS18, it seemed that Loeb only had to cruise home to collect an easy win in Greece today.

On SS20 (â€˜Aghii Theodori 2â€™, 19.42km), however, it was the Frenchmanâ€™s turn to hit trouble when he was forced to stop on the stage to change a wheel/tyre. â€œI knew we had a good margin over Mikko, so I stopped as soon as I felt that something was wrong. I didnâ€™t want to risk damaging the car. We completed the change very quickly â€“ in around a minute-and-a-half â€“ so we didnâ€™t lose the lead.

Indeed, the Frenchman is still almost 40 seconds clear at the top with only one stage (SS22, New Loutraki, 3.7km) to come. Like Hirvonen and Latvala, he will now be hoping to pocket extra championship points on the short â€˜Power Stageâ€™, but that is something Petter Solberg â€“ the defending championâ€™s closest rival in the provisional standings â€“ will not be able to do, of course.

In todayâ€™s WRC, it is always preferable to have a problem on Day 1 or Day 2, because you can re-join the rally under the so-called â€˜Rally2â€™ rule. Unfortunately for him, the Norwegian lost out in two ways when he crashed this morningâ€¦
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Steve · May 27, 2012

That's it. MINI drivers finish 10th Alkuwari, 11th Araujo, 17th Nobre. Not so bad really given it was Alkuwari's first and both Nobre and Araujo retired and returned under Rally 2 rules.

SS22: Loeb tops Power Stage (WRC.com)

27 May 12

Wrc.com stage summary

Stage data: SS22, New Loutraki POWER STAGE (3.97 kilometres)

Stage description:
By M-Sport Ford Rally Team co-driver Denis Giraudet: â€œIt will be interesting to do this Power Stage, which uses the first 3.97 kilometres of Aghii Theodori. Itâ€™s really nice and you can push very hard because itâ€™s not a tricky road. You can attack and itâ€™s nice, I like it quite much.â€

How the action unfolded:
Sebastien Loeb secured his third Acropolis Rally victory by winning the event-closing Power Stage to claim three bonus points and extend his lead of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

Citroen ace Loeb was 0.6s faster than Jari-Matti Latvala through the 3.97-kilometre test near Loutraki with Mikko Hirvonen clinching the final bonus point in third place.

â€œIâ€™m really happy,â€ said Loeb. â€œIt has been so long and so difficult this rally and we have been fighting really hard. To get all the points in the Power Stage is really good also.â€

Ford driver Latvala said: â€œI really tried and pushed and used all the road as much as possible. I went a little bit wide but I tried to keep the speed going on but it wasnâ€™t enough to win.â€

Mads Ostberg was fourth quickest, 0.002s faster than Ott Tanak, in a similar Fiesta, with Thierry Neuville sixth fastest and Martin Prokop seventh to secure fifth overall in his Czech Ford National Team Fiesta.

Valeriy Gorban was 16th fastest to win the Production Car World Rally Championship category for the first time.
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Sunday wrap: Victory for God-like Loeb (WRC.com)

27 May 12

Sebastien Loeb has joined World Rally Championship powered by Nokia legends Miki Biasion, Walter Rohrl and Carlos Sainz by becoming a three-time winner of the Acropolis Rally following his standout triumph in Loutraki this afternoon.

Piloting a Citroen DS3 WRC alongside co-driver Daniel Elena, Loeb performed faultlessly to secure his 71st career victory after fending off a host of rivals. And by claiming three bonus points for winning the event-closing Power Stage, Loebâ€™s lead of the WRC driversâ€™ standings increases to 30 points with seven rounds remaining.

â€œThis rally was so long and difficult,â€ said Loeb, who survived a scare on stage 20 when he stopped to change a left-rear puncture after three kilometres. â€œWe had some fortune in the morning, but in general we had to fight really hard. It was really good. I tried to always keep my rhythm and do what I felt. I tried to manage the car and the tyres. I believe that everybody has done a great rally, Mikko, Petter and Jari-Matti.â€

Petter Solberg started Sundayâ€™s five stages trailing Loeb by 10.2s only to crash out on the opening test in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC. The Norwegianâ€™s misfortune - he tore a rear wheel off his car after striking a tree - promoted Loebâ€™s team-mate Mikko Hirvonen up to second with Jari-Matti Latvala securing the final podium place in third. The Finn marked his return from injury by claiming 10 fastest stage times. â€œAt least after a long time Iâ€™m back on the podium,â€ he said.

Behind Latvala, Mads Ostberg moved into third overall in the WRC standings by finishing fourth. Martin Prokop and Thierry Neuville also continued their strong scoring runs in fifth and sixth respectively.

Sebastien Ogier took seventh for Volkswagen Motorsport although team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen failed to finish after damaging his carâ€™s suspension on Sundayâ€™s opener.

Yazeed Al-Rajhi impressed by bringing his Fiesta Regional Rally Car home in eighth overall, followed by Ott Tanak and MINI driver Abdulaziz Alkuwari, who, like Al-Rajhi, scored in the world championship for the first time.

Suspected engine problems prevented Evgeny Novikov and Daniel Oliveira from getting through Sundayâ€™s first test. Nasser Al-Attiyah also retired after rolling on the Aghii Theodori stage. WRC Team MINI Portugal duo Armindo Araujo and Paulo Nobre restarted under Rally 2 rules to finish 11th and 17th respectively.

Ukraineâ€™s Oleksii Tamrazov finished 18th on his competition debut in a new-generation World Rally Car.
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Steve · May 29, 2012

Excellent video here:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNu45i_8Q60]WRC Rally Acropolis Greece 2012 (HD - pure sound) - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jun 2, 2012

Good video here. Another with music overlay but it's not as bad as others and you an hear the cars, etc.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3XTA4nwsb4]WRC Rally Acropolis Greece 2012 (HD) - YouTube[/ame]

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