Tänak second in Rally Acropolis going into day three
Ott Tänak is second in the WRC EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2021 after day two, but says that work needs to be done on the Hyundai i20 if he and co-driver Martin Järveoja are to compete with Toyota.
Tänak said Friday that: "It has been a bit difficult to find the right feeling and confidence with the car.
"We tried to keep up the pace with Toyota, but we definitely have to improve things tomorrow to stay competitive," the 2019 champion continued.
"The car really has to behave the way it should," he added. "I need a car that's right in my hands. Which does what I want. It needs a little work to get there."
Tänak won stage two, the first stage of Friday, the 17.54-kilometer Aghii stage.
Finn Rovanperä is in the lead in the Toyota Yaris after winning two of the six stages going into day three, followed by Tänak, veteran seven-time world champion Sebasatien Ogier (+3.9s), who won stages one and five, and, after a large gap, Tänak's teammate Dani Sordo (+23.9).
Another Hyundai man and Ypres Rally winner Thierry Neuville is outside the top ten Saturday morning, despite winning the last stage Thursday. A steering issue had cost Neuville over 10 minutes on Friday.
Events are centered on the town of Lamia in central Greece, after Thursday morning's shakedown test and the first full stage that evening, where Tänak finished third and fifth respectively.
Round nine of the 2021 championship, the Acropolis Rally is making a return to the WRC calendar after an eight-year absence. The event is also marking its 70th anniversary this year.
The normally dry and dusty conditions lead teams to use similar set-ups to those in, for instance summer's Rally Kenya.
Stage seven started just after 8.30 a.m. Estonian time.
Acropolis rally Itinerary, with distances, start time (Estonian time) and completed stages and their winners in italics:
Thursday:
Test 4,25 km 8.01 ROVANPERÄ (TOYOTA)
SS1 Cosmote 5G Athens Stage 0,98 km 18.08 OGIER (TOYOTA)
Friday, September 10:
SS2 Aghii Theodori 1 17.54 km 10.18 TÄNAK (HYUNDAI)
SS3 Loutraki 19.40 km 11.11 ROVANPERÄ
SS4 Aghii Theodori 2 17.54 km 13.24 ROVANPERÄ
SS5 Thiva 23.27 km 15.47 OGIER
SS6 Elatia 11.65 km 17.40 NEUVILLE (HYUNDAI)
Saturday, September 11:
SS7 Pavliani 1 24.25 km 8.32
SS8 Gravia 24.81 km 9.57
SS9 Bauxites 22.97 km 11.52
SS10 Eleftherochori 1 18.14 km 13.08
SS11 Pavliani 2 24.25 km 16.26
SS12 Eleftherochori 2 18.14 km 18.08
Sunday, September 12:
SS13 Tarzan 1 23.37 km 8.08
SS14 Pyrgos 33.20 km 9.51
SS15 Tarzan 2 (PK) 12.68 km 13.18
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
