Evans aims to weather the storm at punishing Acropolis Rally
By the time the dust settles on this week’s EKO Acropolis Rally (26 – 29 June), the fight for the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship could look very different.
Photographer Credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
Greece is where seasons can unravel - or surge into life. The iconic Rally of Gods, as it's known, is a brutal mid-season crucible: a cocktail of jagged rocks, soaring heat, and relentless gravel that has humbled the world’s best for decades.
Usually held in September, this year’s edition moves to late June - a seemingly subtle change that could have big consequences. With ambient temperatures forecast to approach 40°C, the heat will place even greater strain on cars, tyres and crews across four gruelling days.
As the 2025 season reaches its halfway mark, Elfyn Evans leads the standings - but only just. The Toyota driver arrives in Lamia with a 19-point buffer - a gap that has been steadily eroded over the past two rounds, having once stood at 43 points.
The Welshman’s reward is a disadvantage on the road: as first car through Friday’s loose stages, he’ll be sweeping a clean line for those behind.
And that could be costly.
“We’re going there at a different time of year to usual, so it has the potential to be very hot and demanding for the cars and the tyres,” Evans explained. “We also know we will face the familiar challenges opening the road on the Friday, when there are a lot of stages run only once.”
Behind him, Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä are closing in. Ogier has won three of his four starts so far this year and remains undefeated on gravel. Rovanperä, just one point further back, is gathering momentum with a win followed by two podiums from his last three rallies - and is a two-time Acropolis winner.
All three are Toyota men. But this is, most recently, Hyundai territory.
The Korean marque delivered a crushing 1-2-3 on last year’s Acropolis - and its i20 N Rally1 trio return hungry for more. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux are still searching for Hyundai’s first win of the season. Tänak sits fourth overall, with Neuville fifth and Fourmaux down in seventh after failing to score any points in Portugal or Italy.
Josh McErlean, Grégoire Munster, Mārtiņš Sesks and Jourdan Serderidis form a four-strong M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 line-up. The British squad boasts a strong pedigree on Greek gravel, with eight Acropolis wins (1997, 2000–2003, 2006–2007, 2009) contributing to a total of 13 victories for Ford machinery since the rally’s inception in 1951.
Takamoto Katsuta also stars for Toyota, while Sami Pajari continues his first full Rally1 campaign in another GR Yaris Rally1 - running outside the main manufacturer points nomination. The young Finn has consistently shown the pace to challenge for top-five results and continues to impress with each passing round.
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece starts in capital city Athens on Thursday evening and includes 17 stages totalling almost 350km against the clock before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
Greece is where seasons can unravel - or surge into life. The iconic Rally of Gods, as it's known, is a brutal mid-season crucible: a cocktail of jagged rocks, soaring heat, and relentless gravel that has humbled the world’s best for decades.
Usually held in September, this year’s edition moves to late June - a seemingly subtle change that could have big consequences. With ambient temperatures forecast to approach 40°C, the heat will place even greater strain on cars, tyres and crews across four gruelling days.
As the 2025 season reaches its halfway mark, Elfyn Evans leads the standings - but only just. The Toyota driver arrives in Lamia with a 19-point buffer - a gap that has been steadily eroded over the past two rounds, having once stood at 43 points.
The Welshman’s reward is a disadvantage on the road: as first car through Friday’s loose stages, he’ll be sweeping a clean line for those behind.
And that could be costly.
“We’re going there at a different time of year to usual, so it has the potential to be very hot and demanding for the cars and the tyres,” Evans explained. “We also know we will face the familiar challenges opening the road on the Friday, when there are a lot of stages run only once.”
Behind him, Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä are closing in. Ogier has won three of his four starts so far this year and remains undefeated on gravel. Rovanperä, just one point further back, is gathering momentum with a win followed by two podiums from his last three rallies - and is a two-time Acropolis winner.
All three are Toyota men. But this is, most recently, Hyundai territory.
The Korean marque delivered a crushing 1-2-3 on last year’s Acropolis - and its i20 N Rally1 trio return hungry for more. Reigning champion Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux are still searching for Hyundai’s first win of the season. Tänak sits fourth overall, with Neuville fifth and Fourmaux down in seventh after failing to score any points in Portugal or Italy.
Josh McErlean, Grégoire Munster, Mārtiņš Sesks and Jourdan Serderidis form a four-strong M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 line-up. The British squad boasts a strong pedigree on Greek gravel, with eight Acropolis wins (1997, 2000–2003, 2006–2007, 2009) contributing to a total of 13 victories for Ford machinery since the rally’s inception in 1951.
Takamoto Katsuta also stars for Toyota, while Sami Pajari continues his first full Rally1 campaign in another GR Yaris Rally1 - running outside the main manufacturer points nomination. The young Finn has consistently shown the pace to challenge for top-five results and continues to impress with each passing round.
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece starts in capital city Athens on Thursday evening and includes 17 stages totalling almost 350km against the clock before Sunday afternoon’s finish.
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