Ogier wins in Greece after late blow for Neuville

Sebastien Ogier won the Acropolis Rally Greece on Sunday after a late mechanical blow for Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville. Ogier, with co-driver Vincent Landais, claimed victory 58.3 seconds ahead of Neuville, who suffered a double puncture on the penultimate stage. Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta finished third, while the overall points fight tightened: Toyota leader Elfyn Evans ended seventh, trimming his advantage over Katsuta to seven points after eight of 14 rounds.

Ogier moved into third overall, 33 points behind the lead, taking his 69th World Rally Championship win and his second of the season. He also scored maximum points by winning the final Power stage and the Super Sunday segment. Neuville, who had led after Friday and said his car was performing well, punctured with 10 km remaining in stage 16, after posting identical times with Ogier on stage 15. The next round is in Estonia, July 17-19, with Josh McErlean delivering a career-best fourth in a Ford.