by Giannis-Marios Papadopoulos
The EKO Acropolis Rally celebrates! This year marks seven decades since the dream of that group of people who, in 1951, implemented the first car race under the name “Rally Acropolis” gained international status.
Acropolis Rally is always a unique Challenge. Hard base roads and high temperatures require careful management of tyres and cars. Conditions are especially tricky on repeated stages, when rocks and bedrock unearthed during the first pass can be especially damaging.
At a time when the race is celebrating 70 years on the international sporting scene, some emblematic special stages, which over the decades have become synonymous with our national race, are being preserved or even reappearing on its route.
Special routes such as Elatia, Pavliani, Karoutes, Eleftherochori and Tarzan will compose the image of the 2023 EKO Acropolis Rally. The start of the race on 7 September under the sacred rock of the Acropolis will mark the beginning of yet another battle of the best rally cars in the world against time and the harsh conditions of the Greek mountains, characterized by the variety of road surfaces and their demanding nature in terms of driving skills.
As in the previous two years, after the ceremonial start and a superspecial stage, the crews will spend the night in Loutraki, from where they will start the pure racing part on Friday morning, with the special stages “Loutraki” and “Pisia”.
The passage to the special routes of Sterea Ellada and Lamia, which will again be the focus of the race, will be via the special route “Livadia”, which won participants and spectators last year, and then via the long version of the special route “Elatia”, which with a length of 28.32 km will finish before Regini.
The most demanding day of the race, with a total length of 141.40 racing kilometres, will be on Saturday, with the special routes “Pavliani”, “Karutes” and “Eleftherochori” being held twice.
On Sunday, with “Tarzan” now firmly established as the modern race route, the special route “Grammeni” will be added this year. In fact, the special route, last included in the race in 2005, will be the Power Stage this year, which will award additional points.
The Servicepark will once again be located at the National Trade Fair in Lamia in central Greece, 220 km north of Athens.
History
The Acropolis Rally was first held in an international level in 1953 and was a founding member of the FIA World Rally Championship in 1973. In the 1970s it regularly comprised more than 50 stages and 850 competitive kilometres.
Apart from 1974, when it was cancelled due to an oil crisis, and 1995, when it was an FIA Two-Litre Cup round only, it remained in the series until 2010. It returned in 2011 but was dropped from the WRC at the end of 2013, after which it became a European Championship round.
In 2005 the Acropolis was named Rally of the Year following a hugely successful super special stage in a packed Olympic Stadium in Athens.
Colin McRae is the Acropolis master with five wins between 1996 and 2002. He won twice in a Subaru Impreza before a hat-trick of wins from 2000 in a Ford Focus.
Other winners include former world champions Walter Röhrl, Björn Waldegård, Ari Vatanen, Miki Biasion, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb.
Ford tops the manufacturers’ list with 13 wins.
