Welshman loses ground in the championship race after early problems.
Elfyn endured another tough weekend at the gruelling Acropolis Rally when his troubles weekend knocked him down the order and dented his opportunity to score decent championship points.
With hot temperatures, ultra-rough road conditions and the rocky stages that Greece’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship is famed for, the event was one of the toughest of the season and certainly lived up to its reputation.
Elfyn’s problems kicked in right from the opening day on Friday. A puncture on the very first stage dropped him down to 66th place and the time loss continued for the remainder of the morning loop as a turbo problem meant his GR Yaris Rally1 was running with reduced power.
A new turbo at Friday’s mid-day service saw Elfyn back up to speed through Friday afternoon and Saturday morning as he tried to get back up the leader-board.
Saturday was a long, hot day of action which crews had to negotiate without any opportunities for service. Elfyn faced more problems, however, when a slow speed roll at a rutted hairpin corner on Saturday afternoon eventually forced him into retirement.
He rejoined on Sunday and secured a small haul of points but not enough to keep his pressure on the championship battle. There are still three rounds to go with the next event at Rally Chile on 26-29 September likely to be pivotal in the title race.
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