While the desired result was not achieved, the team still did well
The Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Team has just concluded a very demanding weekend at the Acropolis Rally in Greece and while they did not achieve the overall results that they initially wanted, they did secure enough points to maintain an advantage in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships.
We have already covered what makes the acropolis so grueling in another article linked here, but for a quick recap, the slippery and rocky roads paired with extremely high temperatures make this track a nightmare to drive on.
Despite being in contention for a top spot for most of the weekend, on the final morning, Elfyn Evans experienced engine related issues on the SS14 road section of the Acropolis and had to give up his fourth place standing, ending any hopes the TGR team had of being on the podium.
The team then focused on the rally-ending power stage where Kalle Rovanpera set the second-fastest time claiming four bonus points for his team. This puts him behind the Championship Leader who lost around 15 minutes when his car was damaged, but his power stage drive lets him maintain his lead by 53 points with three rounds to go.
Meanwhile, despite being in second place on Saturday, Esapekka Lappi was slowed by a technical issue which forced him to stop. He restarted on Sunday and set the fifth-best time on the power stage and with the combined points of Rovanpera and Lappi, they continue to lead the manufacturers’ championship by 63 points.
Moreover, Takamoto Katsuta, finished as the GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid in the highest spot, completing the Acropolis Rally in the sixth overall position to maintain his unbroken scoring run so far this year with the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR WRT) Next Generation.
So what next? After the Acropolis, the WRC makes their way to Rally New Zealand which will take place from 9 September 2022 to 2 October 2022 where the smooth roads around the capital city of Auckland are a hit with the drivers since they consider the track fast and flowing in nature with considerable camber changes.
We got all this from the official Toyota Gazoo Racing press release and their detailed article is linked here. Thank you Toyota Gazoo Racing for the use of these images as well.
