BP Ultimate Acropolis Rally of Greece, 31 May - 03 JuneAFTER DAY 21. 3 M. GRÖNHOLM A8 3:00:22.3 0:00 3:00:22.3 0.0 0.0
2. 1 S. LOEB A8 3:01:05.6 0:00 3:01:05.6 43.3 43.3
3. 7 P. SOLBERG A8 3:01:29.9 0:00 3:01:29.9 24.3 1:07.6
4. 4 M. HIRVONEN A8 3:02:54.4 0:00 3:02:54.4 1:24.5 2:32.1
5. 10 H. SOLBERG A8 3:03:21.6 0:10 3:03:31.6 37.2 3:09.3
6. 8 C. ATKINSON A8 3:05:47.3 0:00 3:05:47.3 2:15.7 5:25.0
7. 19 J. KOPECKY A8 3:07:17.7 0:00 3:07:17.7 1:30.4 6:55.4
8. 5 M. STOHL A8 3:07:54.3 0:00 3:07:54.3 36.6 7:32.0
Greece - WRC Leg two
The second leg of BP Ultimate Rally Acropolis of Greece consisted of eight stages, including two passes through the Agii Theodori test, the longest of the rally and of the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship season thus far. At 48.88km, the stage caught out several drivers during the two passes, but it also saw the heart of two key battles for position during the day.
BP-Ford's Marcus Gronholm began the leg with the overall rally lead and from the start the Finn was in complete control of the day. Despite winning just two of the eight stages, Gronholm slowly, but surely, edged his advantage over the remainder of the competitive field to 43.3 seconds.
The battle for second overall was the highlight for fans during the leg. Subaru's Petter Solberg started the day with a narrow advantage over Citroen Total's Sebastien Loeb, but the Norwegian was unable to hold onto the second provisional podium position early in the leg. After the morning's opening contest, Loeb charged and moved to within less than a half a second of Solberg's position.
Loeb
The second stage of the morning saw the Frenchman move into second, though he relinquished it on the following stage to the former world champion. Solberg held onto the position, narrowly, throughout the day and the second Agii Theodori stage temporarily cemented his claim after Loeb suffered a final-split puncture 40km into the test. Damper issues, however, slowed the Norwegian in the latter part of the afternoon. Though he was able to complete the day without any further problems, he was unable to hold second overall and fell to third after the leg's penultimate test. The difference between the pair will be 24.3 seconds, with only five special stages left to run this weekend.
Mikko Hirvonen has not had the best rally this weekend. After going off on the morning's first stage, the Finn broke the windscreen on his Ford Focus, seriously hampering his view during the next three stages. Though he was able to move up the leaderboard, thanks to a key retirement from Citroen's Dani Sordo, he fell further and further from the top-three drivers during the leg and was never able to make up the lost time. Hirvonen completed the leg fourth, despite his problems during the day, and will start the final leg two minutes 32.1 seconds off his team-mate's overall lead. Sordo was in contention for a top-five finish, but gearbox problems saw him end the leg early midway through the 12th stage.
Chris Atkinson began the day third overall but tyre problems on the opening stage of the morning saw the Australian drop from third to seventh. Undeterred, he drove a solid leg, and despite suffering from problems caused by the puncture early in the morning, Atkinson was pleased with his set-up and the speed during the day. After Sordo's eventual retirement, the Aussie issued a challenge to Stobart's Henning Solberg for fifth overall. The battle began on the 12th stage, when Atkinson moved into the position, though a bullish Solberg was unwilling to give-way without a fight. The penultimate test of the leg saw Atkinson suffer with a broken front driveshaft and essentially forfeit the battle. The time between Solberg and the Australian will be two minutes 15.7 seconds at the start of the third and final day - in Solberg's favour.
Solberg
Jan Kopecky claimed several top-ten times throughout the leg. Though his pace had not matched those ahead of him on the leaderboard for much of the day, his consistent and problem-avoiding driving saw him end the day seventh overall. If Kopecky were to hold his position for the final five stages, it would be his best result of the year, as he finished eighth in both the Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo and Rally Norway.
Manfred Stohl had a problematic day, as well. The Austrian spent most of the leg outside the top-five on the stages, but within the top-ten. After a puncture on the second Agii Theodori stage where he and Ilka Minor were forced to leave their Citroen Xsara to change a tyre, the pair lost more than three minutes from the rally leader. With only five stages left to be run this weekend, it will be a dash for the duo to move ahead of Kopecky to take seventh, who sits 36.6 seconds ahead of the Austrian.
Other notable drivers with problems were the Stobart pair of Jari-Matti Latvala, who suffered three punctures on stage fourteen, and Matthew Wilson. The Finn, who began the leg 10th overall, battled the conditions throughout the day, including his first puncture on the opening stage of the morning where his mousse failed. His Stobart team-mate, Wilson, also struggled early after an off on the leg's first stage which saw him hit a bank, bruising his ribs. The Brit was OK but suffered a severe hit in the standings as a result.
