Adrien Fourmaux Opens Friday Fastest on Greece SS2

Adrien Fourmaux made the perfect start to Friday at Acropolis Rally Greece by setting the fastest time on the Bauxites stage, making full use of his favourable road position on one of the rally's roughest gravel tests.

The 22.97-kilometre stage immediately highlighted the demanding nature of the Greek event. Drivers running near the front faced loose gravel and extremely limited grip, making road position one of the key performance factors from the opening kilometres.

Elfyn Evans admitted he paid the price for sweeping the road as the championship leader, while Takamoto Katsuta described the stage as being littered with rocks that gradually improved after several cars had passed. The conditions created an immediate challenge for the early-running Toyota crews.

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Oliver Solberg suffered the biggest setback after picking up a left-front puncture on the opening gravel stage. Meanwhile, Sebastien Ogier emerged as Toyota's quickest driver of the morning, while Sami Pajari produced a solid start despite reporting that the car was sliding in several sections.

"It's a long rally, but I have a good feeling in the car. I was especially careful in some places and pushed harder in others. It was a good start," said Fourmaux.

Despite his strong opening stage, Fourmaux stressed that the rally remains a long way from over. Friday still features a series of punishing gravel tests that are expected to place further emphasis on tyre management, car durability and choosing the right moments to attack on the constantly evolving surface.