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Ogier wins Acropolis Rally again as Toyota GAZOO Racing extends its WRC manufacturers lead
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Business/The Apex Times/Jun 28, 11:16 PM EDT

Ogier wins Acropolis Rally again as Toyota GAZOO Racing extends its WRC manufacturers lead

A weather-beaten, tyre-shredding final day in Greece delivered Sébastien Ogier’s victory and a double podium for Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team, keeping pressure on rivals in the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship.

By The Apex Times Newsroom4 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Sébastien Ogier delivered a decisive final-day win for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team to take victory at the Acropolis Rally Greece, as the demanding event lived up to its reputation for heat and punishment. With temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and roads described as extremely rough and rocky, the weekend turned into a test of tyre durability, car setup and driver nerve, rather than outright speed alone.

Toyota GAZOO Racing faced a difficult early dynamic in the rally because its five drivers started among the first five on the road, meaning they went through loose gravel and sweeping conditions that can make traction harder for the opening cars. Ogier, starting fifth within the team, made the most of his road position and finished Friday within 10 seconds of the lead.

The battle tightened across Saturday. By the end of the day, Ogier had closed the gap to championship rival Thierry Neuville to just 4.1 seconds. On Sunday, Ogier seized the rally lead with the fastest time in the opening stage, and the story then shifted to small margins and damage. After Ogier and Neuville shared stage honours in the following test, the penultimate stage became pivotal: Neuville suffered tyre damage, opening a gap of 54.8 seconds ahead of the rally-ending Power Stage.

The Power Stage is the set of final stages that awards extra championship points, separate from the rally’s overall finishing order. In that crucial segment, Ogier and co-driver Vincent Landais were fastest once more, securing the win by 58.3 seconds. Toyota said Ogier collected a “maximum score” of 35 points by topping both the Power Stage and the Super Sunday classifications, a bonus structure that rewards strong performances later in the weekend.

Ogier’s seventh straight success for Toyota’s top team this season was not the only result. Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston secured a double podium finish for the squad, ending third overall after a steady climb from ninth. Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen finished fifth, rebounding from a stop for a wheel and tyre change on Friday afternoon. Pajari also took second in both the Power Stage and Super Sunday, adding to the team’s Sunday scoring haul.

Not every Toyota driver had a clean road forward. Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin started Sunday hopes behind the tough conditions of running at the front earlier in the rally, and they fought back toward fourth overall before complications struck in Saturday’s last stage. Toyota said Evans’ Sunday recovery was further hampered by a slow tyre-pressure loss in the opening morning stage, and an earlier touch into a bank in the first stage pushed the tyre off the rim. Evans still finished seventh overall and fifth in the Power Stage, and Toyota reported him remaining championship leader by seven points over Katsuta and 33 points clear of Ogier.

Toyota’s rally also had a second tier storyline in WRC2, where the cars are based on rally regulations for two-wheel-drive competition and support categories. Through its WRC Challenge Program, Toyota said Yuki Yamamoto showed strong pace in WRC2, recorded several top-five stage times and won the Power Stage. Punctures cost time, leaving him 10th in class. In WRC2, Toyota also highlighted Alejandro Cachón, Roope Korhonen and Diego Domínguez as finishing third, fourth and fifth respectively in class.

The team’s outcome has immediate implications for Toyota in the wider championship. Toyota reported that its World Rally Championship manufacturers lead increased to 140 points, with the squad remaining first after round eight on 416 points, ahead of Hyundai on 276 and Toyota’s other WRC entrant, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2, on 126. In the drivers’ standings after round eight, Toyota’s Ogier moved to third at 125 points, behind leader Evans on 158 and Katsuta on 151, while Pajari remained fourth on 114 and Solberg sixth on 103.

What is not fully disclosed in the weekend recap is how much tyre and setup variation, or specific strategy calls on Sunday, contributed to Ogier’s margin beyond stage wins and damage mentioned around the penultimate test. The results provided are also described as provisional, with Toyota noting that the latest figures are available via the WRC website. For teams and analysts, the next announcement will come from how Toyota replicates its tyre-management and risk control on Rally Estonia, where Toyota said stages will be fast gravel with soft and sandy sections that can rut on the second pass.

Why It Matters

  • Ogier’s Power Stage and Super Sunday performance adds meaningful bonus points, which can swing rally championships when overall time gaps remain tight.
  • Toyota’s expanded manufacturers lead reduces the room for rivals to recover purely through single-event wins, raising the cost of mistakes.
  • Running success and tyre durability on the Acropolis reinforces Toyota’s credibility in one of the WRC’s most physically punishing rounds.
  • The results also preserve championship positioning among Toyota drivers, with Ogier third and team leader Evans still leading in points after round eight.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Sébastien Ogier won the Acropolis Rally Greece for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team by 58.3 seconds over Thierry Neuville.
  • Toyota said conditions included temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and extremely rough, rocky roads that tested tyres, cars and drivers.
  • Ogier captured maximum extra points by topping both the Power Stage and Super Sunday classifications.
  • Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston finished third overall, giving Toyota a double podium.
  • Toyota reported that the team increased its lead in the manufacturers’ standings to 140 points after round eight.

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