Acropolis Rally stage shortened hazardous road conditions

A tense battle for victory at the Acropolis Rally Greece was interrupted on Saturday after a leading driver's safety concerns prompted organizers to shorten a stage due to deteriorating road conditions. Thierry Neuville held a narrow lead over Sébastien Ogier as the World Rally Championship event entered its midpoint service, but the focus shifted to the hazardous opening section of the Ghymno stage.

Following the morning loop, nine-time world champion Ogier expressed serious concerns that the revised hard tyres would not survive the rocky and narrow first five kilometers of the stage, which was scheduled to be run again in the afternoon. He described the conditions as "really extreme," with massive steps and sharp stones, and argued that navigating it would be a "pure lottery" that could unfairly decide the rally, especially with no safe place to stop and change a puncture. Ogier said he had asked his Toyota team to petition the organizers for a change.

The FIA later confirmed the decision to shorten the afternoon's second pass of Ghymno by approximately 4.5 kilometers from the start, citing a significant deterioration in road conditions identified after an inspection of the...