ATHENS, June 25 (Reuters) - World champion Sebastien Ogier made a quick start to Acropolis Rally Greece on Thursday with Toyota teammate Takamoto Katsuta second after the short opening 1.56-km asphalt special stage in Athens.
The stage, in the Ellinikon Sports Park, was run with drivers racing side-by-side in pairs -- Ogier against Hyundai's Thierry Neuville and Katsuta taking on championship-leading teammate Elfyn Evans.
Nine-times world champion Ogier will start Friday's first full leg with a one-second advantage over Katsuta and Neuville a further tenth adrift.
"Obviously, the real rally starts tomorrow. But being in Greece is already a pleasure. It’s such a historic rally," said Ogier.
The rally, headquartered in Loutraki on the Gulf of Corinth to the west of Athens, features six rough gravel stages on Friday with crews travelling overnight by ferry from Corinth to Itea for those stages.
"I'm not sure if everyone will handle the boat well but I like being on the boat; it will float and I will sleep like a baby,” said Toyota’s Oliver Solberg, who was in fifth place and 1.2 seconds off the lead.
Evans leads Katsuta by 20 points after seven of 14 rounds.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Clare Fallon)
