WRC 2
WRC2 rivals eye title lead in brutal Acropolis showdown
The WRC2 championship lead could change hands this week as one of the season’s deepest Rally2 fields prepares for a punishing EKO Acropolis Rally Greece.
Thirty WRC2 crews are entered for round eight of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, with several title contenders lining up on the rough gravel roads around Loutraki from 25 - 28 June.
Current WRC2 leader Nikolay Gryazin arrives at the midpoint of the season on top of the standings after his FORUM8 Rally Japan victory, but the Lancia driver is not entered in Greece. That leaves a major opportunity for the chasing pack, with Yohan Rossel, Roope Korhonen and Léo Rossel all just four points behind, and Alejandro Cachón only 10 points from the lead.
The Acropolis itself has a new look for 2026. Rally headquarters have moved from Lamia to Loutraki, while the competitive route features 17 stages and 323.31km across Attica, the Peloponnese and Central Greece. Some 75.1% of the stage distance is new for this year, with only Stiri carried over unchanged from 2025.
That fresh layout does not soften the challenge. Rough gravel, exposed rocks, high ambient temperatures and repeated character changes remain central to the Acropolis identity, and WRC2 crews will face many of the same tyre and car-preservation questions as their Rally1 counterparts.
Yohan Rossel heads the entry in the Lancia Ypsilon HF alongside co-driver Arnaud Dunand, aiming to turn his strong first half of the season into the championship lead. The Frenchman has already shown his ability to manage technical rallies and begins Greece as one of the drivers best placed to capitalise on team-mate Gryazin’s absence.
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His brother Léo Rossel also starts level on 52 points and is entered with Guillaume Mercoiret in a Citroën C3 Rally2 for 2C Junior Team. The pair have been among the benchmark crews throughout the opening half of the year and now face a very different challenge from the asphalt and mixed-surface events that shaped the early season.
Korhonen is the third driver tied on 52 points. The Finn and co-driver Anssi Viinikka bring the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 to Greece with the chance to move into the lead of the championship, but Acropolis will demand more than just pace. On roads where second-pass conditions can become significantly rougher, rhythm and mechanical sympathy are likely to be crucial.
Cachón also enters as a major threat after pushing Gryazin hard in Japan. The Spaniard, partnered by Borja Rozada, narrowly missed out on victory there after a final-stage spin, but his speed across 2026 has kept him firmly in title contention. A strong Acropolis result would bring him right back into the centre of the fight.
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Roberto Daprà, Andreas Mikkelsen and Robert Virves add further depth in Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 machinery. Virves in particular has unfinished business in Greece after finishing level on time with Sami Pajari in 2024, only to lose the WRC2 victory on countback. That remains one of the category’s most dramatic recent Acropolis finishes.
Gus Greensmith is another proven name to watch after finishing on the WRC2 podium in Greece last year, while Yuki Yamamoto arrives with momentum after claiming his maiden WRC2 podium on home soil at Rally Japan. Diego Domínguez, Jan Solans and Mille Johansson add further strength to a field that leaves little margin for a cautious run.
The entry also includes several storylines beyond the title fight. American Conner Martell and Alex Gelsomino make their first Acropolis appearance in a Lancia for 2C Junior Team, while Greek crews including Lambros Athanassoulas, Panagiotis Roustemis and Epameinondas Karanikolas bring local experience to one of the calendar’s most demanding rallies.
