Kalle Rovanpera dominates WRC Acropolis Rally Greece with stunning victory

© Kalle Rovanperä

MOTORSPORTS Kalle Rovanpera dominates WRC Acropolis Rally Greece with stunning victory

Festus Chuma 15:00 - 10.09.2023

Kalle Rovanperä dominated Acropolis Rally Greece, clinching his third 2023 WRC win, while Elfyn Evans secured second over Dani Sordo.

Toyota Gazoo Rally Team driver Kalle Rovanperä has clinched his third win of the 2023 World Rally Championship at the Acropolis Rally Greece.

With a staggering one-and-a-half-minute lead, the young Finnish prodigy showcased his unparalleled dominance on the terrains of Greece, setting fastest times on over half of the event’s stages.

Rovanperä started with a bang, clinching victory in the Thursday night superspecial. While a series of twists saw him momentarily eclipsed, the rally's fate took a dramatic turn by Saturday's end.

Sébastien Ogier, Rovanperä's esteemed teammate, encountered some unexpected challenges, providing Rovanperä with a lead of 2m04.4s. 

From there, the Finnish sensation comfortably cruised through Sunday, adding an 11th WRC win to his burgeoning resume.

Hyundai's seasoned driver, Dani Sordo, was locked in a nail-biting contest with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans. Both managed to evade the mechanical demons that plagued many of their peers.

Sunday morning saw Evans outpace Sordo with a resounding nine-second lead, only for Sordo to reclaim the upper hand by a margin of 1.3s. 

As the powerstage drama unfolded, few would have predicted the developments. Of the Rally1 contenders, only Ogier and Hyundai’s Esapekka Lappi opted for the audacious move of running without spare tires. 

With both Ogier and Thierry Neuville restarting outside the top ten due to previous retirements, the chase for stage points was intense.

Neuville, representing Hyundai, set an imposing 6m32.412s record. Though Ogier's attempt was valiant, he fell short by a minuscule 0.094s.

 Not to be outdone, Lappi slashed Neuville’s time by 0.531s, a feat that seemed insurmountable until M-Sport’s Ott Tänak roared past with a lead of 1.675s.

In a thrilling powerstage conclusion, Rovanperä stole the show with a jaw-dropping 2.57s advantage over the closest competitor. His display ensured that neither Ogier nor Neuville secured powerstage points.

Evans finally emerged victorious, holding a 4.2s advantage over Sordo, marking the latter's 55th WRC podium.

 Thanks to this triumph, Rovanperä's championship lead now stretches to 33 points, posing a daunting challenge for his rivals. Rounding off the overall top six were Tänak, Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta.

In the WRC2 category, Andreas Mikkelsen celebrated his 11th win, finishing 10.3s ahead of Gus Greensmith and Yohan Rossel. 

Mikkelsen's victory was especially commendable, given his earlier misjudgment mistaking an advertising arch for the finish line during the Grammeni stage's first pass.

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