It was a disappointing end to Rally Acropolis for Mille Johansson from Katrineholm and co-driver Johan Grönvall from Arvika. After a long and demanding event, the Swedish duo were forced to retire on Sunday after Grönvall injured his back in a heavy compression on the opening stage of the day.
Mille and Johan were running 11th in WRC2 heading into the final leg and started Sunday by setting the fourth-fastest time on the opening stage despite the incident. After reaching the finish, the decision was made to retire from the rally, and Johan was taken to hospital for further examination.
“On the first stage on Sunday, we hit a heavy compression where Johan injured his back. We didn’t want to take any risks that could make the injury worse, so we decided to retire. He was examined at the hospital and, fortunately, the X-rays showed no serious injuries,” says Mille Johansson.
Rally Acropolis once again lived up to its reputation, with extreme temperatures and rough roads making it one of the toughest events on the WRC calendar. Despite the challenging conditions, Mille and Johan once again demonstrated competitive pace throughout the weekend. They recorded a top-three stage time in WRC2 on SS9 and were fourth fastest on the opening stage on Sunday before their rally came to an early end.
“It turned into a very short Sunday. A few kilometres into the first stage we hit a compression, and I felt an incredible pain in my back. We completed the stage, but after discussing the situation we decided to retire and head to the hospital for a check-up. Fortunately, the X-rays showed no serious injuries, so now it’s all about resting and coming back stronger. Looking back at the weekend, we set some really competitive times whenever everything came together,” says Johan Grönvall.