2022 WRC Greece Preview: Tight Race Is Expected Between the Leaders

By: Eniko

Posted: September 9, 2022

Updated: September 9, 2022

2022 Acropolis Rally is held this weekend, 8-11 September around Lamia
It is the 10th race of the 2022 WRC season, covering 303 km
Kalle Rovanpera is the defending champion and the biggest favorite

Image source: Flickr

The 2022 Word Rally Championship heads to sunny Greece this weekend where the EKO Acropolis Rally will be held. Kalle Rovanpera still leads the championship and is the top favorite in the 2022 WRC Greece preview. Along with his main rivals, Ott Tanak and Elfyn Evans. Rovanpera is also the defending champion here who can seal his title with another win. The first Acropolis Rally was held back in 1951, making this race one of the oldest running competitions. We can find some of the best drivers in its winners like Ari Vatanen, Carlos Sainz, and Colin McRae. The event became a part of the World Rally Championship in 1973 and was on the calendar until 2014. Following a break, the race returned back last season. The current championship leader, Kalle Rovanpera managed to win here in 2021. The young Finnish driver is among the top favorites again. But he won’t have an easy job in the tough, rocky terrain in inland Greece in one of the toughest circuits in Europe. Just like in 2021, Lamia is the host city of the race. But for the first time since 2006, the opening will be held in the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

Rovanpera and Tanak are head-to-head in the 2022 WRC Greece preview

Kalle Rovanpera could have already won the championship in the previous race in Belgium, but he crashed out after running into a ditch. It was his first crash since last October but he still kept a massive, 72-point lead ahead of Tanak. The 21-year-old has been stunning in the season after winning five races and finishing in the top 5 in all other three occasions. Now the Toyota driver can get back to winning in Greece where he is the defending champion. So it’s not surprising that online sportsbooks in Greece offer the smallest odds, 3.00 for his victory. His main rival in the season, Hyundai driver Ott Tanak will arrive as the winner of the last two races. Thanks to his wins, he managed to get closer to the leader, but he still needs to get a good result now to keep his chances. The 2019 champion finished here second last year, so he can drive well in this terrain too. His odds to get his third win in a row are 3.24 in the 2022 WRC Greece preview. Tanak will lead the Hyundai team also consisting of Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo. The Belgian hasn’t had any win this season yet. But he finished in the top six on seven races. Neuville is currently in fourth place in the championship, with an odds of 8.00 to get the win.

Evans and Loeb can also finish on top

Elfyn Evans had a difficult start of the season but he managed to find his speed later. He stands in third place in the championship thanks to his four second-place finishes in the last couple of races. Rovanpera’s teammate was sixth in Greece last year but he is hoping for a better result now. Online gambling sites in Greece offer the odds of 5.00 for his first victory of the season. The Welsh driver is still in the race for the title. But his main aim is now to help Toyota to win the manufacturers’ championship. The only other driver with a win this season besides Rovanpera and Tanak is the nine-time WRC champion, Sebastien Loeb. The M-Sport Ford driver won the first race in Monaco, but only finished 8th in Kenya. He will compete for the fourth time this season with a hope of a good result. Loeb has already won this race three times before and has the odds of 7.00 to win it again. His teammate, Craig Breen got some great results this season along with some very poor ones. Now the Irish driver can prove his skills in the hills of the Acropolis. A driver in much better form is Esapekka Lappi who finished third in Belgium. The Finnish Toyota driver raced in this race eight years ago when he finished in fourth place. Now his odds to win it are 11.00 on 22Bet.