Acropolis Rally Greece 2026: Ogier's statement for title number 10
About this episode
Sébastien Ogier is back and gunning for his tenth World Rally Championship title. Hosts Colin Clark and George Donaldson join the pod to dissect a brutal, rock-strewn Acropolis Rally Greece. They debate whether Ogier can pull off the historic feat, analyze Thierry Neuville’s impressive but ultimately flawed run in the improved Hyundai, and discuss the fine line between driving precision and luck when avoiding punctures on Greece's punishing stages. Plus, the team shares a hilarious behind-the-scenes story of getting hopelessly stuck in the Greek mud.
Sébastien Ogier did what Sébastien Ogier does and mastered the Acopolis Rally last weekend - but of more interest were his comments afterwards, making title number 10 feel like a genuine possibility!
Colin Clark and George Donaldson join Luke Barry discuss the evolving title fight, what Oliver Solberg needs to do next and Thierry Neuville's growing confidence, as well as falling down the usaul rabbit holes and diversions!
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Safari Rally
"And of course I was in Safari with you all. Seems like a terribly long time ago, desperate to get back out to Kenya again for next year."
An iconic rally race in Kenya that is famous for being the longest, wildest, and most difficult race on the calendar, featuring deep mud, sand, and rough terrain.
A legendary WRC event held in Kenya, widely regarded as the toughest rally in the world. It features deep sand (fesh-fesh), unpredictable mud, high speeds, and wildlife hazards across vast African landscapes.
Acropolis Rally
"Colin, you weren't in Kenya at the weekend, but it's probably the closest we're going to get all year, wasn't it, to the Safari, Acropolis, Rally Green. So rather bruising addition of the event."
A famous and incredibly tough rally race held in Greece. It is known for having some of the roughest, rockiest dirt roads in the world, which easily break cars and pop tires.
One of the oldest and most legendary events in the World Rally Championship, held in Greece. Known as the 'Rally of the Gods,' it is famous for its extremely rough, rocky mountain roads and punishing summer heat, making it a supreme test of mechanical endurance.
Sébastien Ogier
"But my one big takeaway from this event is that Oji is back. Oji is fired up. Oji is determined. Oji is going for the big 10."
One of the most successful rally drivers in history, having won the world championship eight times with three different car brands.
An eight-time World Rally Champion from France, widely regarded as one of the greatest rally drivers of all time. He has won championships with Volkswagen, M-Sport Ford, and Toyota.
Oliver Solberg
"the guys in the front Elvin young Mr. Solberg, Sammy Pajari, you know, Sammy and Katsuta, you know, they managed to make the best out of it, didn't they?"
A young, highly talented rally driver who is the son of a former world champion and is rising quickly through the ranks of professional rallying.
A Swedish-Norwegian professional rally driver and son of 2003 WRC Champion Petter Solberg. He is considered one of the brightest young talents in rallying, competing in the WRC2 and top-tier categories.
Thierry Neuville
"But King of the Castle said Bogey and and in fact, Terry Noibull, I mean, Neuvel, sorry, he he got a bit lucky. Explain to me his explain problems on the last day column."
A top-tier professional rally driver from Belgium who drives for the Hyundai team and is always in the fight for the world championship.
Belgian professional rally driver competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC) for Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT. Known for his consistent front-running pace, he has finished as championship runner-up multiple times.
differential
"He changed the transmission in it, the new suspension. Yeah, minor differential changes. Minor differential changes."
A gear system that splits the engine's power between the wheels, letting them spin at different speeds so the car can turn smoothly without sliding out of control.
A mechanical component that allows a vehicle's wheels to rotate at different speeds, crucial for maintaining traction during cornering. In WRC cars, highly sophisticated active or mechanical limited-slip differentials are tuned to distribute power optimally across loose gravel surfaces.
pace notes
"On the face of it, very simple, I think in reality very hard because you're so busy making your pace notes, trying to get the detail right."
A special coded language written down by the co-driver in the passenger seat. They read these notes out loud to tell the driver exactly what turns, hills, and dangers are coming up next so they can drive flat-out without seeing around the corner.
A highly detailed shorthand system used by rally co-drivers to describe the road ahead to the driver. They are written during a pre-event reconnaissance ('recce') and detail corner severity, distances, crests, jumps, and hazards.
Hankook
"I don't know whether Hankook have the capability to do that but I'm sure they will have it. 100% George. I tell you what, Hankook and again, you know, I'm no mouthpiece for Hankook but they did take us to Korea..."
A large tire company from South Korea that makes the official tires used by all the top cars in the World Rally Championship.
A major South Korean tire manufacturer that serves as the control tire supplier for the World Rally Championship. They develop specialized gravel, tarmac, snow, and ice tires engineered to withstand extreme motorsport conditions.
Loutraki
"The key one being the move back to Wutraki which if I am not mistaken it is the first time in the World Championship's 2013 which is the last time we had the event before it came back in 2021."
A beautiful coastal town in Greece that serves as a base for the famous Acropolis Rally, surrounded by very rough and rocky dirt roads.
A seaside resort town on the Gulf of Corinth in Greece, historically serving as a classic hub and service park location for the Acropolis Rally. It is famous for its challenging, rocky gravel stages in the surrounding Peloponnese hills.
service park
"Lamia is no good as a base for the rally. There's hardly a single hotel in Lamia. The service park itself was looking very, very shabby."
The central pit area where rally cars return during the race so mechanics can quickly fix damage, change tires, and tune the car before the next set of stages.
The designated central paddock area in a rally where teams set up their service bays. Competitors return here at scheduled intervals for mechanics to perform rapid maintenance, repairs, and tire changes within strictly timed limits.
liaison
"But you know we had a hundred kilometres competitive and we had 700 and total 600 kilometres of liaison. The drivers were away."
The public roads that rally cars must drive on to get from one race stage to another. They have to follow normal speed limits and traffic laws during these drives.
The non-competitive road sections in a rally that competitors must use to travel between the service park and the competitive special stages. Drivers must obey normal traffic laws and adhere to strict time schedules during these transits.
linked components
"Link components. Link components on the car. If you retire a car from an event, then it gives you a little bit more freedom in terms of your turbo. You can only set number of turbos. They're linked."
Rules in professional rallying that force teams to use the same major parts (like gearboxes or turbos) for multiple races in a row to save money. If a part breaks and they have to replace it early, they get penalized.
A WRC cost-saving regulation where major mechanical assemblies—such as engines, chassis, gearboxes, and turbochargers—are sealed and linked across a series of consecutive rallies. Teams face severe penalties if they must replace these parts before the link cycle is complete.
Henri Toivonen
"I remember Henry Tovenham doing something similar back in when I went there in 1986, sorry, 1984 or something like that. Henry Tovenham was driving a Lancero 37, I think."
A famous Finnish rally driver from the 1980s known for being incredibly fast. His tragic death in a racing accident led to the end of the ultra-fast and dangerous 'Group B' era of rallying.
A legendary Finnish rally driver known for his incredible speed and fearless driving style in the Group B era. His tragic fatal crash at the 1986 Tour de Corse in a Lancia Delta S4 led directly to the banning of Group B rally cars.
Lancia 037
"Henry Tovenham was driving a Lancero 37, I think. I think that was the year it was either 1984 or it might have been the following year, 1985."
A legendary Italian rally car from the 1980s. It is famous for being the last car with only rear-wheel drive to win the world championship, beating newer four-wheel-drive cars through clever engineering and strategy.
The Lancia 037 was a mid-engined sports car and rally car built by Lancia in the early 1980s to compete in the legendary Group B class. It is famous for being the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the World Rally Championship manufacturers' title, defeating the all-wheel-drive Audi Quattro in 1983.
Dodge Challenger
"...st now, because I'm just currently looking at the challenger table to remind myself, and obviously, Elvin Evan..."
The Dodge Challenger is a large, two-door car made by the American company Dodge. It is designed to look like a classic muscle car from the 1970s and is built to be very fast and loud.
The Dodge Challenger is an iconic American muscle car celebrated for its retro styling, spacious cabin, and powerful V8 engine options. Produced in its modern iteration from 2008 to 2023, it became a symbol of straight-line performance with extreme high-horsepower variants like the Hellcat and Demon.
road cleaning
"So, if Elvin remains the guy that's out front cleaning the roads, he's going to constantly be at disadvantage. So, everyone else is in theory, catch a club."
In dirt rallying, the first car to drive down the road has to sweep away loose gravel like a broom, which makes them much slower. The cars driving behind them get a cleaner, grippier road and can drive much faster.
A phenomenon in gravel rallying where the first cars on the road must sweep away loose top gravel, creating a cleaner, high-grip line for the cars starting behind them. This puts the championship leader (who typically starts first on Friday) at a severe time disadvantage.
Mini Convertible
"We had, we had, we had a pair of minis with drop heads and Colin. I spent a night around Sierra, around all the ropey areas with the top down. It was very fun."
A small, fun-to-drive convertible car made by Mini, featuring a soft top that folds down so you can drive with the wind in your hair.
The Mini Convertible (often referred to as a 'drophead' or 'cabriolet') is the open-top version of the modern retro-styled Mini Cooper hatchback. It features a folding fabric roof while retaining the brand's signature 'go-kart' handling characteristics.
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