ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Belgian crew of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe won the Acropolis Greece Sunday, leading a sweep of the first three places by the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team.
Dani Sordo and Candido Carrera of Spain were the runners-up, 1 minute, 36.8 seconds behind the winners. Estonians Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja were third, 2 minutes, 57.3 seconds behind.
France’s Sebastien Ogier and Vincent Landais were in second place when calamity struck on the 15th and final stage Sunday, which was also designated a Power Stage with extra points awarded. Their car overturned, rolled and they finished in 51st place, 22 minutes 59.4 seconds behind the stage winners, compatriots Adrien Fournaux and Alexandre Coria, who ran the stage in 10:43.8.
Ogier crashed shortly after the stage was interrupted to let an ambulance pass to pick up a spectator who had suffered a medical emergency.
Ogier finished 16th overall, 23 minutes 44.5 seconds behind Neuville.
“I didn’t have the information on Ogier’s crash at all, and when I saw the car I still wasn’t sure it was him… I understood from that point on that I just had to bring home the car and get through,” said Neuville, who dealt with his own mishap on Friday morning, the first full day of the rally, when his engine misfired.
The Acropolis Rally is known for its rough, treacherous terrain but this year in particular, it appeared that survival was the most important task for the top drivers. Sordo and Tanak both suffered tire damage Saturday, allowing their Hyundai teammate, Neuville, to surge ahead of them.
The results not only dropped Ogier further behind Neuville in the overall standings of the WRC with three races remaining, but he was also overtaken for second place by Tanak — Neuville has 192 points, Tanak 158 and Ogier 154. If he holds on to the lead, it will be Neuville’s first championship while Ogier has won 8, all from 2013 to 2021.
Next up is the championship’s 11th round, Rally Chile, from Sept. 26-29. Races in Central Europe and Japan in October and November conclude the season.
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