Joshua Mcerlean wins the shakedown stage of EKO Acropolis Rally Gods

Photos: Courtesy of WRC

BY FRANK KAHEESI & H.MBAZIIRA, ATHENS GREECE

WRC2 driver Joshua Mcerlean, co-driven by Eoin Treacy in Ford draws first blood at the 2025 WRC EKO Acropolis Rally of Gods, by posting the fastest shakedown stage time.

He ran the 3.62km stage in a time of two minutes 44.7seconds, ahead of the Hyundai’s duo of Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak, who were +0.2 and +0.3 second slower .

Toyota’s Sami Pajari, Kalle Rovanpera, and Takamoto Katsuta end stage fourth, Fifth and Six in that order.

Special stage: Shakedown

Distance: 3.62 km

Weather: Sunny, 28°C

Reactions from different drivers

Elfyn EVANS / Scott MARTIN

“Usual challenges with the road position. Looking for a clean rally and finish without problems.”

Kalle ROVANPERÄ / Jonne HALTTUNEN

“It’s nice to be back here. Already in the shakedown we see that it’s going to be a tough weekend.

There is dust on the stage. Acropolis will be tougher this year, we hope we are going to have a good Rally.”

Sébastien OGIER / Vincent LANDAIS

“Super hot weekend. It’s going to be intense in the car. In general it’s going to be difficult .”

Ott TÄNAK / Martin JÄRVEOJA

“It’s Greece. So nothing is predictable. Already the shakedown is full of dust. Good luck to us tomorrow.”

Thierry NEUVILLE / Martijn WYDAEGHE

“It’s going to be a very rough weekend. Everything can happen.

There is already dust in the shakedown and it is dangerous. Hope we have different time gaps tomorrow.”

Takamoto KATSUTA / Aaron JOHNSTON

“The stages are rough as always. It’s going to be a big challenge.”

Adrien FOURMAUX / Alexandre CORIA

“It’s a really rough event for the car, the tyres and for us. We already have a lot of dust in the stage and it’s not nice for us.”

Sami PAJARI / Marko SALMINEN

“One of the most challenging events for my experience.

There is always something happening. You need also a little bit of luck.”

Grégoire MUNSTER / Louis LOUKA

“I am feeling relaxed about the weekend. It’s going to be very hot, but we are going to enjoy it.”

Joshua MCERLEAN / Eoin TREACY

“It’s going to be a long weekend. Is super demanding in the car. We will get it steady and it will be a great accomplishment to finish on Sunday.”

Mārtiņš SESKS / Renārs FRANCIS

“Our shakedown it’s just a chance for us to get used again to the car after Rally Poland with a Rally2.

We are going to have a steady approach, stage by stage .”

Jourdan SERDERIDIS / Frédéric MICLOTTE

“It will be hotter. It will be tough for everyone. The two new stages are going to be really nice for everyone. We are going to enjoy it.”

COMMENTS

Thierry Neuville and Takamoto Katsuta set the fastest time on shakedown with a 2m 37.9s run, closely followed by Ott Tänak, just 0.6 seconds adrift.

Drivers are expecting a demanding rally, with hot weather and plenty of dust making conditions even tougher.