Greece (WRC) - 9-12 Sep 21

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 9 – Acropolis Rally (Oliver Solberg and Aaron Johnston 2nd event in new Hyundai i20 N Rally2)

Posted: September 6, 2021 11:05 AM

Hyundai Motorsport heads to the legendary Acropolis Rally, the ninth round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), on a charge for a second consecutive victory next week (September 9-12).

Last time out at Ypres Rally Belgium, Hyundai Motorsport gained ground in the manufacturers’ standings with a spectacular 1-2 finish. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were untouchable as they took an emphatic win in front of their home crowd. The Belgian crew was joined on the podium by team-mates Craig Breen and Paul Nagle, who finished in second place after a brilliant drive. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja took four stage wins but had to settle for sixth overall after a puncture ruled them out of podium contention.

As WRC returns to gravel for Acropolis Rally, Neuville/Wydaeghe, Tänak/Järveoja are joined by Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera in the Spaniards’ first competitive outing as a pair. All three crews have tested with the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC to acclimatise to one of the toughest events on the WRC calendar.

Acropolis Rally features 15 stages comprising a competitive distance of 292.19km. The legendary event returns to the pinnacle of rally for the first time since 2013. Its twisty mountain roads and high temperatures place great stress upon the cars and the crews, with stages becoming more perilous on the second pass as rocks and stones are disturbed and moved. Though the stages are smoother than they once were, they still pose the same treacherous conditions WRC has experienced at Rally Turkey in recent years.

The event begins with a shakedown, followed by a ceremonial start in Athens. Crews will then tackle a short street stage around Syntagma Square. After an overnight stay in the city, action moves west on Friday for five stages before crews head north to the Lamia service park. Saturday is the longest day with six stages, while the final day features three stages to the west of the city.

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said:
“We welcome the return of Acropolis Rally to the WRC calendar, and look forward to our first participation in this special event. It will be an especially tough challenge for teams and crews, but we have prepared ourselves accordingly and are ready to tackle the stages. I have been proud of the way we have approached recent events. We have been able to perform at a high level and secure results that are more representative of our potential. We must continue in this way and aim to secure as many points as possible in Greece.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Belgians claimed first victory as a crew last time out in Ypres
Looking to use momentum to secure second consecutive win

Neuville said: “Acropolis Rally is going to be a tough event. When I was competing there back in 2012 and 2013 it was one of the roughest rallies - together with Argentina at that time. I always enjoyed it. We tested in Greece two years ago to prepare for Rally Turkey, so we have some knowledge of the terrain there. The stages have some very twisty profiles with a lot of loose stones, hot temperatures and it could be very similar to the rough conditions of Turkey. It will be very challenging as not only do you need to go flat out, but you also need to manage the car and the tyres. Strategy will be very important, but that’s something we like. We have high expectations for another good result, and we are looking forward to it.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Estonians seeking to fight back after Belgium disappointment
On the hunt for their second victory of the season

Tänak said: “It’s been a long break since the last WRC rally in Greece eight years ago. Acropolis Rally is an event with a lot of history and tradition behind it. It’s an event which belongs to the WRC, and it is good to be back. The last time I competed there was back in 2012 – a long time ago, but I have some great memories. Acropolis Rally is a good replacement for Rally Turkey which is normally the roughest event of the year. I think it’s going to be a really nice event; it will be quite demanding, but the stages are really special and flowing. I can’t wait to be back and bring home a good result.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
First WRC event for Sordo and Carrera as a crew
Spaniards aiming to get up to speed quickly with new partnership

Sordo said: “Acropolis Rally was one of the roughest rallies when I competed there in the past but, overall, it is a nice rally with good stages. Normally the main challenges are the rocky surface, which is really demanding on the tyres and the high temperatures. You can have a lot of issues in this rally but now we have other similar rallies on the calendar such as Portugal and Sardinia that are similarly demanding, so maybe we are more prepared for this kind of event. Our road position is advantageous when we look at the big picture; it is good to start at the back and we will try to make the most of our running order on the first day. I can’t wait to start it. It will be the first rally with Cándido alongside me and I hope we can get a good result.”

WRC 2 Overview

Acropolis Rally will be the second consecutive event for the brand-new Hyundai i20 N Rally2, which secured victory on its debut in Ypres Rally Belgium.

Oliver Solberg and Aaron Johnston will be the sole crew at the helm of the car in Greece and will be hoping for better fortunes after missing out on victory at Ypres. The duo had a commanding lead heading into the final day, but had to retire on Sunday morning due to an electrical issue.

Solberg said: “I can’t wait to take the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to Greece. I did quite a lot of testing with the car on the gravel, so I know the potential and the speed it has. We have to remember though, we are still early in the life for the car so we have to make sure we are making a lot of kilometres. I think this is a rally where you drive more with your head than with the heavy right foot; there will be lots of big rocks waiting, especially on the second loop of stages. This is going to be especially true on the first day because we have no service in lunchtime. It’s going to be fantastic.”

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “We were pleased to see the performance of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 at Ypres, but Acropolis Rally will put the car through an entirely different set of challenges. We haven’t shown the full potential of this new car, and although we secured victory in WRC 2 last time out, we also identified areas for improvement. Oliver’s mission in Greece is to help us develop our understanding further, as well as bring home a good result.”

Weekend at a Glance
Acropolis Rally kicks off with shakedown on Thursday morning, followed by a ceremonial start in the famous Acropolis citadel and a street stage in the city centre.
After staying overnight in Athens, crews tackle five stages on Friday before heading north to Lamia for evening service: two passes of Aghii Theodori (17.54km) and one each of Loutraki (19.40km), Thiva (23.27km) and Elatia (11.65km).
Saturday is the longest day on the itinerary with six stages totalling 132.56km. Pavliani (24.25km) and Gravia (24.81km) are followed by a tyre fitting zone for Bauxites (22.97km) and Eleftherohori (18.14km). Following service, Pavliani and Eleftherohori are repeated.
Three stages bring the rally to a close; Tarzan 1 (23.37km) and Pyrgos (33.20) – the longest stage of the rally – are run before a tyre fitting zone. A shortened Tarzan 2 (12.68km) acts at the event’s Power Stage.

Toyota Yaris WRC encounters the legendary Acropolis Rally

Posted: September 6, 2021 11:04 AM

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team is preparing to face another of the sport’s most iconic and demanding events when the legendary Acropolis Rally in Greece returns to the FIA World Rally Championship on September 9-12.

The Acropolis Rally last featured in the WRC in 2013, having been almost ever-present on the calendar since the inaugural season 40 years earlier. The event is known for rocky mountain roads and high temperatures which combine to create a tough challenge for the cars, tyres and drivers.

Sébastien Ogier, who won the rally in 2011, heads to Greece with a 38-point lead in the championship, with team-mate Elfyn Evans in joint second place. Kalle Rovanperä, fourth in the standings, will be making his Acropolis Rally debut, as will TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Takamoto Katsuta. Toyota has a 41-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship with four rounds remaining.

The rally will begin on Thursday afternoon from the capital city Athens, with a start ceremony beneath the ancient Acropolis citadel and a short street stage around Syntagma Square. From there, Friday takes the crews out west for a pair of stages close to Loutraki, one of which will be repeated following a lunchtime tyre-fitting zone and before another pair of stages are tackled on the route north back towards the service park in Lamia.

Saturday is the longest day of the rally, beginning with a loop of four stages split into two by a tyre-fitting zone in Itea. Two of those stages – Pavliani and Eleftherohori – will be repeated after a full mid-afternoon service in Lamia. The conclusion to the rally on Sunday includes Pyrgos, the longest stage of the weekend at 33.2 kilometres, inbetween two visits to the famous Tarzan test.

Quotes:

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It’s great to have the WRC back in Greece. The last time that the Acropolis Rally was on the calendar, I actually won it, and it’s an event that I like a lot myself. You have to really think about your driving because it can be rough in places and the tyre wear is quite high. Some of the stages close to Lamia have not been used for 16 years, so they will be completely new for all of the current drivers. We know that the organisers have been working on the roads quite a lot, and the road condition seems to be much better than in the past. There’s a lot of loose gravel on top, though, so opening the road could be pretty challenging. Although this is another new rally on the calendar, we do have some good Acropolis Rally experience within the team, and I hope this helps us to have a successful event.”

Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 1)
“It’s nice that the WRC is going back to Greece. The Acropolis Rally is one of these events which made the history of the WRC, and we’ve missed it now for a few years. It’s definitely a country I love and I’m looking forward to going back there. Of course, we can have some idea of what to expect from the past, but it will be a new event in the sense that I think everybody will have to write new pacenotes, and it’s always nice when everybody starts from the same level like that. I know it will be a rally where opening the road will be challenging, but it’s nice to be in the position we are in the championship and we’re going to do everything we can to maintain this gap. That will be our target.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin

Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“I’ve done the Acropolis once before, back in 2012, but that was with a two-wheel drive car. It’s obviously going to be a very different experience going there now with a World Rally Car, and there will be a lot of new pacenotes to write. So it’s more or less like going to a brand new rally for me, even though Scott does have a bit more experience there. The route has a lot of stages that will be used just once, which is unusual, and that means there will be a lot of road cleaning to contend with – as with any dry gravel rally. We don’t know exactly what we’re going to be facing, but we’re going there to get the best result possible, as always.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen

Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“It’s nice to be going to another classic event in the WRC. I know that previously the Acropolis was always a really tough event. This year, from the videos we have seen, the roads look to be in a better condition than in the past, and I think it’s going to be quite an interesting event. With many stages being driven only once, it’s going to be really important to have a good setup for those first-pass conditions when it’s a bit more slippery, so this was the main focus of our pre-event test. Hopefully we can have the pace to fight for the podium places again. We just need to try and have a clean rally and see what we get.”

M-SPORT’S EMERGING DUO GEAR UP TO GO FOR IT IN GREECE

Posted: September 6, 2021 10:52 AM

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s emerging young talents, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux, are gearing up to tackle Acropolis Rally of Gods for the first time this week as they take another tough test in their ongoing career development.

Ranked as one of the roughest and arduous events in rallying, the Acropolis returns to the FIA World Rally Championship from 9-12 September following an eight-year absence.

A founding round of the WRC back in 1973, the Greek gravel event is tough on drivers, cars and tyres with punishing temperatures, rock-coated and rock-lined roads and hanging dust combining to make Acropolis Rally of Gods a huge challenge.

Based in Lamia, 220 kilometres north of Athens, the event actually begins in the capital with a 0.98-kilometre street stage on Thursday evening following the ceremonial start under the ruins of the ancient Acropolis citadel.

Friday’s route takes crews west of the capital for the single-use Loutraki stage either side of two passes through Aghii Theodori. Loutraki also hosts a midday tyre fitting zone close to the spectacular Corinth Canal. Before returning to Lamia, the Thiva and Elatia stages complete the opening leg’s competitive action, which covers a distance of 89.40 kilometres.

While Friday’s leg will be tough, Saturday’s route south of Lamia will be tougher still with six stages over a timed distance of 132.56 kilometres in store. A tyre fitting zone in Itea follows the first of two visits to Pavliani plus one pass through Gravia. Classic Acropolis stages Bauxities and Eleftherohori are next followed by service in Lamia. Reruns of Eleftherohori and Pavliani round out the day’s action.

The deciding leg of round nine of the season on Sunday, which is based west of Lamia, features two runs through Tarzan and one visit to Pyrgos, the event’s longest stage at 33.20 kilometres. The second Tarzan test counts as the Power Stage and is due to begin at 13h18 local time. While Sunday’s route is limited in terms of the number of stages, at 69.25 kilometres it will be far from easy.

M-Sport has a strong record on the Acropolis with the British team celebrating no fewer than eight victories, including a hat-trick for Colin McRae between 2000-2002. A ninth victory by a driver in an M-Sport car was achieved in 2015 when Kajetan Kajetanowicz triumphed in a Ford Fiesta R5, the second of five seasons when the Acropolis counted as a round of the FIA European Rally Championship following its departure from the WRC after the 2013 edition. Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:

“It’s another new rally for Gus and Adrien but there are some advantages with new stages and very little second usage, which is unlike most WRC events. We’re expecting faster roads and smoother conditions than we’ve been used to in the past, but we won’t get a true picture until after the recce and I have no doubt the event will throw up plenty of challenges.

“We start the event with our usual game plan of doing as best as we can and hoping Gus and Adrien can maximise their experience by reaching the finish. As with every rally, Gus is targeting a top-five finish and that’s realistic. Adrien will focus first on getting himself back up to speed following his crash in Ypres before aiming for a solid finish and more kilometres.

“As a team, we’ve enjoyed plenty of success on the Acropolis over the years and we’re all looking forward to returning to Greece and to a very important event for the WRC.” GUS GREENSMITH
CHRIS PATTERSON

Acropolis Rally of Gods represents unchartered territory for Greensmith, but the 24-year-old will look to strong results on similar rough gravel events, including his career-best fourth on Safari Rally Kenya in June, as he prepares for action. He will also count on co-driver Chris Patterson’s experience. The Irishman has 10 Acropolis starts to his name and his knowledge will be invaluable to Greensmith.

Gus Greensmith said:
“The Acropolis is on my list of events I want to do before I stop so it’s a rally I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. I tend to enjoy rough rallies and I’ve done my best to prepare by watching old footage to get an idea of what it’s going to be like. I’ve also done nine days in a heat chamber in anticipation of the very high temperatures although the forecast is now for 30 degrees centigrade rather than 40, which is still warm but nothing out of the normal.

“If we compare the Acropolis to Turkey, we’ve seen that everyone is flat out all the way through. It means you have to commit in the rough stuff but also show a degree of mechanical sympathy because the bedrock will be hard for the suspension and the tyres. Usually when it’s rough anything can happen so it’s an exciting situation to be in.

“There are a lot of single-use stages, which means it won’t be as rough as it has been in previous years because you don’t have the second pass and we’ll have a good road position. Friday should therefore be a very good day for us and I plan to maximise the opportunities. We’ve got a good car for rough conditions and I feel we can have a very strong rally.”

ADRIEN FOURMAUX
RENAUD JAMOUL

Like Greensmith, the Acropolis is an all-new adventure for Fourmaux. But the Frenchman, 26, has experience on rough gravel rallies, such as Turkey and Kenya, where he scored his first WRC stage win back in June.

Adrien Fourmaux said:
“Like most of the time, it’s a new rally for me but I do remember playing it on PlayStation when I was younger! Some drivers have some experience, but it was eight years ago and the cars have changed a lot since then. I’m just trying to prepare as I do for the other rallies, working on the videos and my physical and mental training. We had an issue on the last rally in Belgium, so we want to go back to our positive attitude from the beginning of the season and keep taking the experience.

“The Acropolis is in the WRC next year, so we need to get the experience of all stages. I know it will be hot, really tough with big rocks in the middle of the road that you don’t expect. It will be a big challenge and you can expect punctures, maybe some mechanical damage.

“I will take the experience from Turkey and Safari, which can also help me with the set-up of the car. I was probably too careful with the car on the Safari on the Friday but I know more about the limits of the car on rough rallies, that it’s really, really strong. I know many things can happen on this type of event so I will do my rally, do my best and try to do some good stage times. But the most important thing is to be at the end with no issue and have a good result. It was a good rally for M-Sport in the past and hopefully it will be the same in 2021.”

Event Website / Details

Posted: September 6, 2021 10:50 AM

Acropolis Rally (Greece)

FIA World Rally Championship adds Greece to 2021 calendar

Posted: March 28, 2021 9:26 AM

Greece will return to the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time in eight years after the fabled Acropolis Rally Greece was added to the 2021 calendar today.

The gruelling gravel road event forged a reputation as one of the WRC’s iconic fixtures after joining the inaugural season in 1973, and WRC Promoter has finalised a multi-year agreement with the Greek government for the Acropolis to return.

It will form round 10 of the season on 9 - 12 September, replacing Copec Rally Chile which has unfortunately been cancelled due to continued travel and other governmental restrictions amid the pandemic.

The Acropolis was first held in 1951. It became regarded as one of the WRC’s toughest rounds, as twisty and rocky mountain roads combined with intense heat and choking dust to provide a fierce challenge.

The rally has appeared in the WRC on 38 occasions and fostered a cult following among fans before leaving the championship in 2013.

Colin McRae tops the event’s roll of honour with five victories and other winners include fellow world champions Sébastien Loeb, Juha Kankkunen, Walter Röhrl and Carlos Sainz.

Known as the Rally of Gods, Acropolis Rally Greece will start from its traditional location beneath the famous Parthenon temple in Athens, restoring one of the sport’s famous picture postcard images to the WRC.

Details of the host city and itinerary will be issued following the regular route inspections by the FIA and WRC Promoter.

Jona Siebel, managing director of WRC Promoter, said the return of one of the championship’s classic rallies would be applauded across the sport.

“The Acropolis holds an illustrious chapter in WRC history and we appreciate the Greek government’s huge commitment in restoring it to world rallying’s top table. Welcome back!” he said.

“Its heritage will be recalled by all, but at the same time this is a modern-era Acropolis that sits comfortably alongside our other 11 rounds. That doesn’t mean its challenge is diminished and we can be sure the tough mountain roads will bring the sternest of contests.

“Chile proved a popular addition to the WRC in 2019. Unfortunately, the country suffered badly from the pandemic last year and the situation remains difficult. We’re extremely disappointed to lose this year’s event, but Chile very much remains a part of the WRC family.”

FIA President Jean Todt said: “I am convinced the efforts of the Chilean Motor Sport Federation and organising team are not in vain and we will have the chance to see another great edition of Rally Chile in the future.

“Acropolis Rally Greece, which thus gets the opportunity to step into the championship, needs no introduction. It’s a legendary event featuring some of the world’s roughest stages.

“I have such special memories of it, having competed there as a co-driver on five occasions between 1970 and 1981, and winning it as team principal of Peugeot in 1985 and 1986.

“It’s a pleasure to see the Acropolis return at the highest level of the discipline thanks to the support of the Greek authorities, along with the strong commitment of the organisers.”

The rally has fervent Government support and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece was proud to celebrate the WRC’s return.

“Seventy years ago the Acropolis was a backdrop to a very special race which became known as the Rally of Gods, an epic annual contest that tested drivers like no other. After an eight-year absence it is back and, fittingly, at a time of dramatic rejuvenation of my country,” he added.

Deputy Minister of Sports Lefteris Avgenakis added: “We are delighted to be able to fulfil our promise to the Greek people and the hundreds of thousands of motorsport fans worldwide. Greece is ready to welcome fans from all around the world in September and prove that it will be a major player in international events again.”