Acropolis Rally (Greece) - 28-30 Mar 14

THE 208 T16 CLAIMS MAIDEN VICTORY

Posted: May 25, 2014 3:52 PM

The keenly-awaited international debut of the new 208 T16 was rewarded with the first victory of its career! The Peugeot Rally Academy’s Craig Breen took the win on the Greek European Rally Championship round, 30 years after the first success of the famous 205 T16!

30 years of history

In 1984, Peugeot claimed a landmark victory on the second stage of the Tour de Corse, with Ari Vatanen in the 205 T16! Three decades later, the Peugeot Rally Academy’s Kevin Abbring marked the first international appearance of the new 208 T16 with the fastest time on…SS2. It was a case of history repeating itself, but it was only the beginning of the new R5 car’s adventure on the legendary Acropolis Rally which it went on to win outright! The mixed-surface format made the Greek round one of the most complex of the year, and a combination of rain and dry weather only added to the challenge that awaited the Peugeot pair.

A first for Craig Breen, the 208 T16 and the Peugeot Rally Academy!

Ireland’s Craig Breen, who is co-driven by Scott Martin, contributed to the 208 T16’s development, so he was as aware as anybody how much the new car represented a serious trump card as competitors lined up for the start of the notorious Acropolis Rally. He went on to claim four stages (SS3, SS6, SS7 and SS11) and eased ahead on SS6 following the retirement of his team-mate Kevin Abbring. After that, a determined drive saw him overcome a half-spin to ward off pressure from B. Bouffier and win by a margin of 8.1s. Fiesta R5 driver K. Kajetanowicz was third, more than 40 seconds behind. Not only did the result bring Breen the first major international victory of his career, but it was also the first win for the Peugeot Rally Academy and the 208 T16!

Craig Breen has been awarded the Colin McRae Flat out Trophy

Next weekend, Breen and the 208 T16 will be in Ireland to contest a round of the country’s national championship where they will no doubt receive a hero’s welcome ahead of mid-April’s Circuit of Ireland, the next round of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Kevin Abbring: early leader in Greece in the 208 T16

Although victory in Greece ended up in the hands of Craig Breen, round three of the 2014 ERC saw Kevin Abbring impress on his first appearance in the colours of the Peugeot Rally Academy. His prize for winning the 2013 208 Rally Cup was a six-round ERC programme in 2014 in the 208 T16, and the Dutchman hit the ground running to reveal the new car’s fantastic potential. Along with co-driver Sebastian Marschal, he posted the fastest time on SS2 to appear at the top of the leader board, and they were fastest again on SS4 before being eliminated by a holed radiator. Judging by their showing on the Acropolis, there is every chance they will be top challengers again when the ERC moves on to Ireland next month.

Driver quotes:

Craig Breen:
“I feel like I’m on top of the world! The 208 T16 turned out to be just as competitive on gravel as it was on asphalt. This is my first victory in an international championship and I am also very proud to have written the first page in the history of the 208 T16. It’s a great result and a fitting tribute to the hard work put in by everyone not only at the Peugeot Rally Academy but also at Peugeot Sport. It was quite simply a perfect weekend.”

Kevin Abbring:
“It was a pleasant surprise when I found myself in front with the 208 T16 after SS2. It was by no means a foregone conclusion because there were so many new parameters, including driving the car on asphalt and a new pace note system with a new co-driver. Okay, we didn’t reach the finish but the car has got real potential and I am very confident for the future. I can’t wait to be in Ireland.”

Craig Breen scores his maiden ERC win on the Acropolis Rally.

Posted: May 25, 2014 3:45 PM

Now in his second season as a Peugeot Rally Academy driver Craig Breen arrived in Greece to round three of the championship ERC Acropolis Rally with a hunger for his maiden European Championship win and with it the chance to give the new Peugeot 208 T16 a win on its debut ERC event. On Friday’s qualifying stage Craig and his co-driver Scott Martin set second fastest time only 0.6 seconds down on his team-mate Kevin Abbring. The pair started the tarmac stages of leg one full of confidence. It was French man Bryan Bouffier that went fastest on the day’s opening stage, but the Peugeot pair weren’t far behind. Near the end of the second stage Bouffier picked up a puncture which saw him drop back the leaderboard. On stage three Craig went fastest by 3.8 seconds tightening the gap overall to Abbring down to just 2.9 seconds with Kajetan Kajetanowicz in 3rd going into the mid-day service.

In service it was all about tyre choice as the clouds darkened overhead and it was going to be vital to make the right decision. The rain fell in parts of stage four and Abbring posted another fastest time. Craig seemed to suffer more allowing Kajetanowicz to slot into second fastest time and splitting the two Peugeot Rally Academy cars. On stage five Abbring’s luck ran out as his 208 T16 suffered a punctured radiator which saw him retire at the end of the stage. Craig took over the rally lead by 12.7 seconds from Kajetanowicz, but a hard charging Bouffier demoted Kajetanowicz to third on the last stage of the day before the cars returned to service to change into gravel specification for Leg 2.

Craig began the second day with a 14.7 seconds lead over Bryan Bouffier going into the seven iconic stages that lay ahead which were all gravel except one new tarmac spectator special in Korinthos mid-morning. The Peugeot Rally Academy driver was on form straight away posting fastest time on the first stage of the day and while Bouffier and Kajetanowicz swapped places on the leader board Craig pushed on in true champion form and that saw him awarded the “Colin McRae Flat out Award” but also win the rally by 8.1 seconds from Bouffier.

It was a dream result for Craig, the Peugeot Rally Academy team and the ERC debut of the new 208 T16. All the hard work developing the car over the last twelve months got off to the perfect start. Craig is also the first Irish driver to win an ERC event since his idol Frank Meagher on the 1995 Manx International Rally. Craig and the 208 T16 will compete next weekend on the Fel’s Point Circuit of Kerry Rally in Tralee as a high speed test for round four of the ERC, The Circuit of Ireland Rally on Easter weekend.

Double ERC first for Breen and 208T16 on Acropolis Rally

Posted: May 25, 2014 3:44 PM

Craig Breen has become the third different winner in as many rounds of this year’s FIA European Rally Championship with an emotional maiden victory in the all-action series.

The Irishman’s success on the legendary Acropolis Rally marked a debut ERC win for Peugeot’s all-new 208T16 and follows Kajetan Kajetanowicz’s triumph in Poland last year when he scored the first victory by an R5 car in the flagship regional championship.

Behind Breen and British co-driver Scott Martin, who move to the top of the ERC standings following their first-place finish in Greece, Bryan Bouffier and Xavier Panseri (Citroën DS3 RRC) finished second with Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran completing the podium in their M-Sport Ford Fiesta.

Elsewhere, young Russian driver Evgeny Sukhovenko won the ERC 2WD category, while Vitaliy Pushkar secured first place in the ERC Production Car Cup when long-term Tibor Érdi retired on the road section heading to the finish. Ekaterina Stratieva took maximum ERC Ladies’ Trophy points for the first time this season.

Breen, whose performance earned him the prestigious Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy, celebrated his victory by paying tribute to Gareth Roberts, his best friend and former co-driver who lost his life in a rally crash in 2012. He also remembered his idol, the late Frank Meagher, who was the last Irishman to win a round of the European championship.

“It’s been the perfect weekend,” said Breen. “We showed a lot of speed on the Tarmac yesterday and everything worked just as well on gravel today so hats off to the team and Peugeot Sport for all their hard work. Frank Meagher was my absolute idol. But I remember Gareth and me asking ourselves the day before the accident how long it would take until we could be winning one of these events. A couple of years later and it’s an amazing feeling and thanks to Scott, he’s done a fantastic job.”

Breen started Sunday’s gravel-based final leg leading by 14.7s and remained in control up front as Bouffier and Kajetanowicz fought out a dramatic battle for second place, which Bouffier eventually won after Kajetanowicz elected to settle for third. All three drivers were using Michelin tyres.

“My target, as usually, is to win and I did quite a lot of mistakes this weekend so I’m a little disappointed,” said Bouffier. “But we only discovered the car on Tarmac in shakedown and on gravel this morning so we have to be happy with this result. Now we will try to beat Craig on the next round in Ireland.” For Kajetanowicz, the result maintained his strong start to the season for the LOTOS Rally Team. “It was an incredible rally for us and we are very happy to be on the podium,” he said.

Erstwhile ERC title-leader Esapekka Lappi finished fourth for ŠKODA Motorsport with Bruno Magalhães overcoming a scare when his Pirelli-shod Peugeot 207 Super 2000 suffered a broken cross member on Sunday’s third stage to take fifth on his first international rally in two years.

While Lappi was unable to emulate the spectacular performance that carried him to victory on the last ERC round he remains in the thick of the title fight, four points behind Breen.

Emerging Russian star Vasily Gryazin had to settle for sixth after he stopped to change a left-rear puncture on Sunday’s second stage. Jaroslav Orsák overcame suspension and steering dramas to take seventh with Jean-Michel Raoux securing his first points of the season in eighth.

Jaromír Tarabus bagged his first stage win of 2014 with the fastest time through the all-asphalt Super Special Korinthos. But his use of Tarmac tyres infringed the rules and he was handed a three-minute time penalty, which left him in ninth place at the finish. Robert Consani soldiered on following myriad technical problems to complete the top 10 and score the final leg bonus point ahead of Italian ERC newcomer Giacomo Costenaro and Czech ERC stalwart Antonín Tlus?ák.

Sepp Wiegand restarted on day two after retiring his ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland Fabia with broken suspension on Saturday afternoon. After posting several strong stage times the young German bagged three leg bonus points. However, there was no restart for Kevin Abbring after the Dutchman retired from the lead on stage five with a high water temperature on his 208T16.

ERC Production Car Cup: Dramatic win for Pushkar as Érdi drops out in Vitaliy Pushkar scored his maiden ERC Production Car Cup victory in dramatic fashion. Tibor Érdi Jr, who had led from the start, was prepared to concede defeat after losing a chunk of time on the final stage with broken rear suspension. But when Pushkar – who had cancelled out Érdi’s comfortable overnight lead with a string of fastest stage times – emerged at the stop line with a front-left puncture, Érdi Jr thought victory would be his after all only to retire on the road section heading to the finish. Martin Hudec almost rolled in the closing stages but came home in second behind Pushkar after clutch and brake problems hampered his progress. Cypriot Charalambos Timotheou completed the podium.

ERC 2WD Championship: Rookie Sukhovenko scores last-gasp victory Evgeny Sukhovenko emerged as a star of the future with a debut ERC 2WD Championship victory. The 23-year-old Russian started the final stage 4.2s behind Simone Tempestini. But when the Romanian teenager damaged his Citroën DS3 R3T’s radiator going through a water crossing on the last run, Sukhovenko was able to pick up the pieces and win in his Renault Clio R3. Defending champion Zoltán Bessenyey had led at the overnight halt following Todor Slavov’s crash on stage five. But the Hungarian’s Honda Civic Type R didn’t quite pack enough punch to fend off Tempestini and Sukhovenko. Nevertheless, the TV presenter fought back to finish second with Alex Filip a fine third on the first of five starts in this year’s ERC. Greek veteran Haris Kaltsounis completed the finishers on his 41st Acropolis Rally.

ERC Gravel Master update: Breen takes early ERC Gravel Master lead After scoring top ERC Asphalt Master points on Saturday’s Tarmac leg, Craig Breen did likewise on Sunday by taking 48 ERC Gravel Master points, one more than Bryan Bouffier managed. Kajetan Kajetanowicz scored 27 points with Esapekka Lappi taking 16 points and Jaromír Tarabus collecting 10 points. Sepp Wiegand, Vasily Gryazin, Bruno Magalhães and Robert Consani also scored ERC Gravel Master points. Along with the new-for-2014 ERC Asphalt Master and ERC Ice Master accolades, the ERC Gravel Master award recognises the achievements of surface specialists competing in the FIA European Rally Championship. The next opportunity for drivers to score ERC Gravel Master points is on May’s SATA Rallye Açores.

Results

Posted: May 25, 2014 3:41 PM

1 Craig Breen (IRL)/Scott Martin (GBR) Peugeot 208T16 2h21m20.2s
2 Bryan Bouffier (FRA)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Citroën DS3 RRC +8.1s
3 Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL)/Jaros?av Baran (POL) Ford Fiesta R5 +42.1s
4 Esapekka Lappi (FIN)/Janne Ferm (FIN) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +1m33.0s
5 Bruno Magalhães (PRT)/Carlos Magalhães (PRT) Peugeot 207 S2000 +4m40.0s
6 Vasily Gryazin (LVA)/Dmitry Eremeev (LVA) Ford Fiesta S2000 +6m11.8s
7 Jaroslav Orsák (CZE)/David Šmeidler (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +7m51.2s
8 Jean-Michel Raoux (FRA)/Laurent Magat (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +9m08.6s
9 Jaromír Tarabus (CZE)/Daniel Trunkát (CZE) ŠKODA Fabia S2000 +9m18.4s
10 Robert Consani (FRA)/Vincent Landais (FRA) Peugeot 207 S2000 +9m52.9s

FIA ERC Production Car Cup:
Vitaliy Pushkar (UKR)/Ivan Mishyn (UKR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4

FIA ERC 2WD Championship:
Evgeny Sukhovenko (RUS)/Sergei Larens (RUS) Renault Clio R3

ERC Ladies’ Trophy:
Ekaterina Stratieva (BGR) Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy:
Craig Breen (IRL)

Full Results: rally-base results

Event Website: Acropolis Rally (Greece)

Breen ready for action on the Acropolis

Posted: March 24, 2014 12:06 PM

When Craig Breen took up his role within the newly formed Peugeot Rally Academy at the beginning of the 2013 season it was a two year plan. His first season was always intended to be a learning year, to gain knowledge of new events and with it the responsibility of being the lead development driver of the new generation Peugeot 208 T16 in preparation for this year. All the work of the last 12months, all the kilometres, all the adjustments, tweaks and changes will come together to make their competitive debut next weekend at the Acropolis Rally in Greece Round 3 of the European Rally Championship (ERC) 2014.

The traditionally all gravel event which is celebrating its 60th year holds legendary status for drivers from all around the world and this year there will be an extra challenge as it will be made up of thirteen stages both on tarmac and gravel. The Loutraki based rally is the perfect first ERC event for the new Peugeot 208 T16 as it will give Peugeot Sport the opportunity to make comparisons between their car and other manufacturers over over both surfaces on the one event which rarely happens in the rallying world these days.

Shortly after noon on Friday March 28th Craig and his co-driver Scott Martin will compete against their rivals on a 3.27km tarmac qualifying stage to determine road position for the following day and this will give a glimmer of what to expect over the weekend from the Peugeot Rally Academy crew and their new 208 T16. Later on that evening they will take part in a spectacular start ceremony high above the Corinth Canal.

Day one of the Acropolis (March 29th) will see the Peugeot Rally Academy crew take on 124.62km of the new tarmac stages in the north eastern part of Peloponnese and although the fans have questioned the introduction of these stages the organizers are very confident that the fans will be more than satisfied with their choice of roads. Day two will use 114.22km of the event’s more traditional gravel stages that are fast and quite rocky in parts giving the classical essence of this event, keeping the pace up the but trying to preserve the car at the same time. This year also sees the introduction on day two of a tarmac seaside superspecial mid loop which takes place in Korinthos and while drivers are sure to put on a great show for the fans it will make things tricky for them due the cars being in gravel set up.

Craig admits he desperately wants to win a round of the championship soon and he wants to give the new Peugeot 208 T16 its maiden win and on its maiden ERC event. He will have to get the best from himself and out of the new car though as the entry list for the rally is very strong with some of Europe’s best drivers taking part including his championship rivals Bryan Bouffier and Esapekka Lappi. Dutchman Kevin Abbring will partner Craig in a second Peugeot Rally Academy-entered 208 T16 and for sure he will have high hopes for the event too.

ERC aces target God-like status on the legendary Acropolis Rally

Posted: March 21, 2014 11:12 AM

There will be serious competition ahead when the legendary Acropolis Rally returns to the FIA European Rally Championship roster for the first time in almost 50 years next week (28-30 March).

While event base Loutraki on the banks of the Gulf of Corinth will be familiar to many, the switch to a mixed-surface format marks a return to past glories when sealed-surface sections were combined with the punishing gravel tracks that remain entrenched in Acropolis Rally folklore.

Day one of the Greek event (Saturday 29 March) will use Tarmac stages only with day two (Sunday 30 March) made up by the event’s more traditional gravel stages, with the exception of the all-asphalt superspecial in the town of Korinthos.

The change of format for the 60th running of the Acropolis Rally is the result of the event’s earlier-than-usual March date. To counter the prospect of some of the more mountainous gravel stages becoming unusable in the event of heavy rain or snow, organisers have added an all-Tarmac opening leg to the itinerary. This will be less susceptible to inclement weather, thereby avoiding the risk of stages having to be cancelled if conditions deteriorate.

Following Friday afternoon’s Qualifying Stage, which will be used to help determine the starting order for the ERC and FIA priority drivers, Saturday’s route takes in two loops of three high-speed asphalt stages south of Loutraki. At the completion of leg one, teams get 90 minutes to service their cars and convert them to gravel specification for the loose-surface second leg, which takes in two loops of gravel tests south and east of Loutraki, plus the all-asphalt Super Special Korinthos. Tyre engineers from ERC partners Michelin, Pirelli and Yokohama will be in attendance during the rally as they monitor the performance of their respective products on the first mixed-surface ERC qualifier of 2014.

As well as counting as round three of the overall ERC, ERC Production Car Cup and ERC 2WD Championship, drivers will be able to score ERC Asphalt Master points on leg one and ERC Gravel Master points on leg two as part of a new initiative for this season to recognise the achievements of surface specialists. In addition the event qualifies for the Greek national championship.

R5 era gets another boost

While the M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5, of which 50 have now been completed, is already a winner in the ERC, Peugeot’s 208 T16 will make its first competitive start in the championship in Greece having been trialled on last year’s Geko Ypres Rally. Kevin Abbring and Craig Breen will drive a brace of 208 T16s for Peugeot Rally Academy and will go up against the Fiesta R5s of Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jourdan Serderidis.

ERC title battle takes centre stage

Two rounds into the new season and the race for the prestigious ERC title is already taking centre stage with Esapekka Lappi, 23, and Vasily Gryazin, 20, starting the Acropolis Rally just two points apart. Finn Lappi, who drives a factory ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, won the last round in Latvia where he faced strong opposition from Russia’s Gryazin, who drives a Fiesta S2000 for Sports Racing Technologies.

Heroes return to ERC action

ERC event winners Bryan Bouffier and Bruno Magalhães will both be in action on the Acropolis Rally. Bouffier, in a Citroën DS3 RRC, will be gunning to avenge his early exit from Rally Liep?ja last month, while Magalhães (Peugeot 207 S2000) is gearing up to tackle his first event away from Portuguese soil since 2011.

Emerging talents aim to build experience

Promising ŠKODA Fabia drivers Sepp Wiegand and Henk Lategan are among a number of Acropolis Rally entrants tackling the event for the first time. Wiegand, who competes under the ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland banner, was a strong fifth on his first ERC start of 2014 in Latvia last month, while Lategan is embarking on only his fourth event outside of his native South Africa having made his ERC debut in Croatia last season. The teenager is also teaming up with new co-driver Klaus Wicha for the first time.

Czech mates in the ERC

There will be a total of four drivers from Czech Republic contesting the international section of the Acropolis Rally. The quartet is Martin Hudec, Jaroslav Orsák, Jaromír Tarabus and Antonín Tlus?ák. In addition to Bryan Bouffier, Robert Consani and Jean-Michel Raoux will be flying the French flag on the Greek event. Meanwhile, the Acropolis Rally will mark Italian Giacomo Costenaro’s ERC debut.

Class battles to be a highlight in Greece

The ERC Production Car Cup has attracted six entries with Mitsubishi Lancer pilots Vitaliy Pushkar, Tibor Érdi, Charalambos Timotheou and Martin Hudec among the leading contenders. ERC Ladies’ Trophy ace Ekaterina Stratieva will also be eligible for class points following her step up to a Subaru Impreza on Rally Liep?ja. Ioannis Zounis from Greece is another driver relying on Subaru power.

Honda Civic Type R exponent Zoltán Bessenyey will face opposition from Alex Filip, Todor Slavov and Simone Tempestini as he bids to get his ERC 2WD Championship defence back on track following his leg-one retirement on the season-opener in Austria. Filip and Slavov are both armed with Renault Clio R3s, while Tempestini is Citroën DS3 R3T mounted.

Q&A: KEVIN ABBRING

Along with Peugeot Rally Academy team-mate Craig Breen, highly-rated Dutchman Kevin Abbring is one of two drivers charged with giving Peugeot’s 208 T16 its FIA European Rally Championship debut on the Acropolis Rally in Greece.

Before we talk about your exciting new car, how good does it feel to be back at international level?
“It feels good to be back of course. My last year competing internationally was in 2012 when I did not have so much luck. After that I could no longer stay in the [WRC] game so I took a risk and drove in the 208 Rally Cup in France. But it really helped because the prize is to drive the 208 T16 in the ERC. Also, the level was high, I’d never driven an R2 car before and every rally there was pressure because if I didn’t do my job I knew it would be difficult to continue. But I am back doing six rallies in the ERC, which is very good with Eurosport promoting it. Also, I have a brand-new car and although we don’t quite know where we stand at the moment it’s very exciting.”

You mentioned the car, what do you think of your new Peugeot 208 T16?
“We did some testing together with Craig and we worked well together. I appreciate him as a driver and as a friend. When we compare things we try different things and combine the knowledge to set up the car well. I haven’t been driving the car yet on asphalt but we will do a test before the rally and every metre is welcome, because the speed difference compared to the R2 is really huge. I can adapt to a new car quite easily but the difference in speed to adapt the pacenotes is the most difficult thing.”

And you will have a new co-driver in Sebastian Marshall to read your pacenotes…
“I wanted to switch to English pacenotes and I think he’s the right guy. I trust him and we get along well. Not only is it a new car, it’s a new co-driver as well but we need to start somewhere. We just need to focus on ourselves and find the rhythm to do well in the future.”

The Acropolis Rally has a reputation for being a tough event. Do you agree?
“The good thing is at least the Tarmac on the first day is new for everyone. As we have seen before when I was in the JWRC in Ireland and Poland when the rally was all new, I set the fastest times on nearly every stage. Okay, this will be different now because the R5 is really new for me. The rally will be rough when it goes to gravel and you wait for the big stones. It’s about surviving but the cars won’t be weak.”

What do you look to achieve in Greece?
“It will be hard to keep up with the pace of the fastest drivers from the beginning because I won’t have the rhythm, and that’s because I haven’t been driving a four-wheel-drive car for at least a year. I just want to show the potential of the car throughout the rally and the potential of myself. It’s hard to say where we will stand against the others and particularly the Regional Rally Car of Bryan Bouffier.”

FIVE FACTS

*Mixed-surface events are nothing new for Greek rounds of the ERC: the ELPA Rally used routes consisting of asphalt or gravel or a combination of the two in the past.

*British hero Roger Clark won the last Acropolis Rally to count for the ERC when he took his Ford Escort to victory in 1968, one year after Paddy Hopkirk triumphed in a Mini Cooper S.

*The late Colin McRae, who is honoured on each round of the ERC with the presentation of the Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy, has won the Acropolis more times than any other driver with five victories to his name. *Haris Kaltsounis will set a new record when he starts the Acropolis for the 31st time this year. The Greek driver, 65, is competing in an Opel Corsa Super 1600.

*The Peloponnese peninsula where the rally is based is effectively an island following the completion of the Corinth Canal in 1893, not that it’s ever referred to as such.

Seeded Entry List

Posted: March 17, 2014 9:10 PM

Acropolis Rally (Greece) - 28-30 Mar 14 - SEEDED ENTRY LIST

Entries Received

Posted: February 21, 2014 6:07 PM

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• Acropolis Rally (Greece)

BREEN COUNTING THE DAYS TO 208 T16 ERC LIFT-OFF

Posted: February 18, 2014 12:49 PM

Craig Breen says he can’t wait for the Acropolis Rally and it’s not just because he’s a fan of the legendary Greek event, round three of the 2014 FIA European Rally Championship.

Instead, the reason for Breen’s keenness to tackle the Loutraki-based rally from 28-30 March is because he is due to drive a new-generation Peugeot 208 T16 in competition for the first time when the mixed-surface event gets underway.

“I can’t wait for the Acropolis and I desperately, desperately want to win a rally soon,” said Breen. “I tested before Christmas in Sardinia and I’m testing again in the south of France on some rough gravel stages soon. We’re really starting to make big progress with the car.”

Dutchman Kevin Abbring will partner Breen in a second Peugeot Rally Academy-entered 208 T16.

Event Website / Details

Posted: February 4, 2014 12:12 PM

• Acropolis Rally (Greece)