Seventy-two quality crews will measure their strength in the Rally of the Gods, some chasing the distinction and some the unique feeling of participating in one of the most classic races of its kind.
The clock is ticking down for the start of the EKO Acropolis Rally, the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. With... occasion some of the best special stages of the WRC and... Due to the desire of each participant in the institution to write in his palmare at least one participation in the acropolis soils, the EKO Acropolis Rally "moved" again in a significantly high number of participations.
Seventy-two crews will pass through the starting ramp in Lamia on Thursday, September 5, to compete over the next three days in a race of 15 special stages with a total length of 305 kilometers. Crews from 31 countries will be in Greece and of course all the contenders for this year's titles.
The leader in the Manufacturers' standings, Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, will take part in three i20 N Rally1s. Drivers' points leader Thierry Neuville will lead the way, with Ott Tanak in the second i20 N aiming to close the gap between them. The third Hyundai car will be the return of Spaniard Dani Sordo, in his 3rd appearance this year in the colors of the Korean team.
After three wins in a row in Poland, Latvia and Finland, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT is back in the Constructors' title battle and will also participate in the EKO Acropolis Rally with three GR Yaris Rally1s. Spearheaded by eight-time World Champion Sebastien Ogier, who despite following a selective program this year, is on track for a title! Next to him are the regulars throughout the Championship Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, with the Briton eagerly looking for the victory that will put him back in contention for the Drivers' Championship.
M-Sport Ford WRT after podiums in Poland and Finland has a clear goal to continue its good run of results. The British team has prepared three Ford Puma Rally1s, with Adrien Fourmaux leading the way. The young Frenchman has been on the podium four times this year and the goal is to achieve the same at the EKO Acropolis Rally. In the second Puma, Gregoire Munster will try for the best possible experience, while Iordanis Serderidis will be in the third M-Sport car. The Greek driver will take part in another Acropolis, wanting to score a good position at general level.
The long list of entries includes 34 Rally2 specification cars, which guarantee a rich spectacle. Given the fact that WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg will not start the race, Sami Pajari and Yohan Rossel in Toyota GR Yaris and Citroen C3 respectively will have a prime opportunity to close the gap to the top of the standings. Of course, the victory will not be easy, since a series of experienced and fast combinations have aspirations for victory. Among them, Nikolay Gryazin (Citroen C3), Jan Solans (Toyota GR Yaris), Lauri Joona (Skoda Fabia), Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Skoda Fabia) and of course the two former M-Sport Ford factory drivers, Gus Greensmith and Pierre-Louis Loubet in a Skoda Fabia RS.
At the same time, for yet another year at the EKO Acropolis Rally, the curtain will fall on the Youth Championship (JWRC), with the race counting as double! Estonia's Romet Jürgenson leads the standings, followed just eight points behind fellow debutant Taylor Gill, 20. In 3rd place, maintaining scoring hopes for the title, are the Turkish Ali Turkkan and Diego Dominguez Jr.
Of course, the list of 72 crews distinguishes the quantity of Greek crews (17 in total), which for yet another year are the heart of the EKO Acropolis Rally and will face international competition claiming the best in individual categories. In WRC2, the presence of the experienced Lambros Athanasoulas-Nikos Zackheos who will drive a Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2 stands out, as well as this year's pleasant surprise of the Greek races, George Amoutza-George Iliopoulos with the same car. The 2019 Greek Champion George Kehagias will also start with the Skoda Fabia RS with Nikos Petropoulos by his side, as well as the talented Panagiotis "Roustemis"-Christos Bakloris. Also, Vasilis Velanis-Ilias Panagiotounis and Nikos Pavlidis-Allan Harryman will claim something more by taking advantage of their experience, participating with Skoda Fabia RS and Evo respectively.
In addition, a number of fast crews will enter the battle of Rally3-spec cars. Among them, the leaders in the standings of the National Rally Championship, Cypriots Petros Panteli-Charalambos Laos with Renault Clio and Nondas Karanikolas-George Kakavas with a Ford Fiesta.
Paschalis Hadjimarkos-Marios Tsaoussoglou and Themis Chalkias-Nikos Komnos, both with Renault Clio, are also able to perform summit times. Interest is expected to turn to Manos and Kostas Stefanis (Ford Fiesta), with the experienced Greek co-driver starting the 30th Acropolis Rally of his career in 49 years! Giorgos Delaportas-Vangelis Panaritis are expected to be with another Rally3-spec Ford Fiesta, while the Rally4 category will be exclusively a Greek affair, with Savvas Lefkaditis-Vangelis Akratos and Giannis Plagos-Christos Kouzionis standing out, both with Peugeot 208. The list of entries is completed with Theodoros Kalamaras-Dimitris Lambrakis (Ford Fiesta Rally4), Loizos Papageorgiou-Vasilis Kougias (Citroen DS3) and Dimitris Parellis-Andreas Papandreou with Renault Clio RS Line Rally5.
For the list of entries click here.
Acropolis Rally
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