The 2022 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with the tenth round, EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.
WRC Championship Rundown
Kalle Rovanperä’s championship lead was cut down at Ypres Rally Belgium, but he still leads the championship by a healthy 72 points. Ott Tänak sits in second, 15 points ahead of Elfyn Evans, who took third after Ypres. Thierry Neuville sits in fourth, 10 points behind Evans. Takamoto Katsuta rounds out the top five, sitting 14 points behind Neuville. Tänak will likely be looking to take home his third straight win this weekend and move into a comfortable second-place lead. Neuville will likely be looking to take back third place, while Katsuta will be looking to move into fourth. Craig Breen sits 28 points behind Katsuta in sixth place and will likely look to close that gap.
Championship Standings Heading Into Greece
- Rovanperä 203
- Tänak 131
- Evans 116
- Neuville 106
- Katsuta 92
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team are going to hope for a better result in Greece than they had in Ypres. The M-Sport WRT has not had a car finish in the top five since Italy, where Craig Breen placed second. M-Sport also failed to have a car in the top 15 at Ypres. Their highest and only finisher was Gus Greensmith, who placed 19th. Sebastian Loeb is the only driver to win a rally in a Ford so far this year. That win came at the first event of the 2022 season, Monte Carlo. Loeb will rejoin the team this weekend. M-Sport was set to race six Ford Puma Rally1s at Rally Greece. Unfortunately for them, Adrien Fourmaux’s car was damaged significantly in Ypres, and the team did not have enough time to repair the car before Greece. The team will still race a five-driver lineup.
M-Sport Drivers Attending EKO Acropolis Rally Greece
Sebastian Loeb
Craig Breen
Pierre-Louis Loubet
Jourdan Serderidis
Gus Greensmith
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
The Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT is coming off back-to-back event wins. They will likely look to take three straight events. Ott Tänak won both of those events and is the only driver to win a rally in a Hyundai this season. Along with Tänak, Oliver Solberg finished fourth at Ypres, the highest finish of his career so far. Unfortunately, Solberg won’t be racing this weekend as Dani Sordo will fill his spot. Thierry Neuville was the favorite to win Ypres but unfortunately temporarily retired on the third day. Neuville will likely look to take back third place in the championship standings with a good result in Greece.
Hyundai Drivers Attending EKO Acropolis Rally Greece
Ott Tänak
Thierry Neuville
Dani Sordo
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
The Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT couldn’t ask for much more right now. As they lead both the Manufacturer’s Championship and the Drivers Championship by a healthy amount. Elfyn Evans will likely look to gain more of a lead over Neuville. As Kalle Rovanperä will likely push back after losing two straight events and temporarily retiring in Ypres after the second stage.
Toyota Drivers Attending EKO Acropolis Rally Greece
Kalle Rovanperä
Elfyn Evans
Esapekka Lappi
Takamoto Katsuta
The Return Of A Legend
Nine-time WRC Champion Sebastian Loeb will return to the WRC this weekend in a Ford Puma Rally1 prepared by M-Sport. Loeb currently sits eighth in the WRC standings, 23 points behind Lappi, who sits in seventh. Loeb has raced three events so far this year. Racing Rallye Monte Carlo, Rally Portugal, and Safari Rally Kenya. Loeb was able to take home his 80th rally win at Rallye Monte Carlo. Along with his 80th win, he’s the only driver to win a rally in a Ford so far this season.
Rovanperä’s Chance To Win It All
Kalle Rovanperä will have another chance to clinch the 2022 WRC Championship this weekend. Rovanperä had the same chance in Ypres, but unfortunately, his rally and any chance were cut short on the second stage when he was forced to retire temporarily. Although Rovanperä is guaranteed to become the youngest WRC Champion ever, clinching it this weekend would be a bit more special. As this is the last rally, Rovanperä will be 21 years old, as he will turn 22 just days before Rally New Zealand ends. For Rovanperä to clinch the championship, he has to gain 18 more points than Ott Tänak. Three more points than teammate Elfyn Evans and eight more than Thierry Neuville. It’s slim odds, but it is possible.
No Loeb vs. Oiger This Time
Sebastian Loeb and Sebastian Ogier have been rivals at the top level for a long time. So far this season, they’ve attended the same events as each other. That will change this weekend as Loeb is attending the event while Ogier is not. Ogier sits ninth in the championship, just one point behind Loeb, who sits in eighth.
My name is Joe Moore. I am a writer for Belly Up Hockey, Belly Up Racing, and Belly Up Sports. You can find me on Twitter.
