Taka turns up the heat on Acropolis shakedown

Driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 with co-driver Aaron Johnston alongside, Katsuta edged Hyundai Motorsport’s Ott Tänak by six-tenths of a second on his second run through the 3.62km Lygaria warm-up test. Dani Sordo, steering an i20 N Rally1 identical to Tänak’s, ended 1.3sec off the pace in third.

This year’s Acropolis Rally is shaping up to be as brutal as its reputation suggests, with bone-dry conditions leaving the sun-baked gravel tracks even rougher and rockier than in recent years.

“My hope is to survive,” Katsuta said, acknowledging the challenging conditions. “Let’s see if this feeling continues for the next few days.”

Tänak, currently third in the championship standings behind his Hyundai team-mate Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier, said: “The last couple of years, if you leave the weather out, the roads have been getting smoother and smoother. But this year I would say it's true that some stages are quite rough and stoney.

“With the loose stones, the puncture risk can definitely be a lottery at this rally more than others. Let's see how it develops during the weekend. There are definitely nice stages as well, but all the loops are mixed with some rough ones.”

Championship leader Neuville, who ended shakedown seven-tenths behind Sordo, arrives in Greece in high spirits after signing a contract extension with Hyundai, keeping him and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe with the team through 2025.

M-Sport Ford hotshot Adrien Fourmaux was fifth ahead of Puma team-mate Grégoire Munster, while Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Jourdan Serderidis rounded out the Rally1 contingent.