Acropolis Rally
The Acropolis Rally of Greece (Greek: Ράλλυ Ακρόπολις) is a rally competition which used to be part of the European Rally Championship (ERC) schedule, and was formerly a round of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The rally is held on very dusty, rough and rocky mountain roads around Athens during the Greek hot summer period. The rally is known for being extremely tough on the competing cars and drivers.
| Rally Acropolis Ράλλυ Ακρόπολις | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | active |
| Genre | motorsporting event |
| Date(s) | May - June |
| Frequency | annual |
| Location(s) | Athens and Lamia |
| Country |  |
| Inaugurated | 1951 |
| Founder | ELPA |
| Website | http://www.acropolisrally.gr |
History
The Acropolis Rally has been held since 1951 by the Greek Motorsports Organization Automobile and Touring Club of Greece (ELPA), making it one of the longest-standing competitions in world rallying. Many world renown drivers have won this event including Walter Röhrl, Björn Waldegård, Ari Vatanen, Stig Blomqvist, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, among others.
Due to the nature of the race, with a mix of rough, twisty mountain stages and coupled with blistering heat and choking dust, the Acropolis Rally is one of the toughest on the European and world rally circuits. The cars used in the race must be built with extra sturdiness in order to cope with the fast but rock-strewn stages. Drivers and co-drivers also have to contend with the pounding terrain and high summer temperatures which often reached 50 °C within the cockpit.
Super Special Stage (SSS)
In 2005 a new stage was introduced; a superspecial stage held within the Athens Olympic Stadium. The Super Special Stage (SSS) was the highlight of the rally as well as the 2005 WRC schedule and in the same year, the Acropolis Rally was awarded the “Rally of the Year” title.
In 2006 there were 2 superspecials, again in the same stadium. The rally headquarters and the service park also moved from Lamia to the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. In the 2007 event, the superspecial (along with the rally headquarters and the service park) moved to the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre. In 2008 the super special stage was held twice at the Tatoi military airport. In 2009 the rally headquarters and the service park were moved to the Greek city of Loutraki near the Corinth Canal. For the 2016 ERC Season, the rally headquarters were moved back to the classic mountain stages above Lamia.
Winners
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Number of victories per driver (WRC only)
Since 1973, the first WRC season (excluding the 1995 event).
| 5 victories | 3 victories | 2 victories | 1 victory |
|---|---|---|---|
Colin McRae ( |
Miki Biasion ( |
Ari Vatanen ( |
Jean-Luc Thérier ( |
Carlos Sainz ( |
Björn Waldegård ( |
Harry Källström ( | |
Walter Röhrl ( |
Juha Kankkunen ( |
Michèle Mouton ( | |
| Sébastien Loeb ( |
Marcus Grönholm ( |
Stig Blomqvist ( | |
| Timo Salonen ( | |||
| Markku Alén ( | |||
| Didier Auriol ( | |||
| Richard Burns ( | |||
Markko Märtin ( | |||
Petter Solberg ( | |||
| Mikko Hirvonen ( | |||
| Sébastien Ogier ( | |||
| Jari-Matti Latvala ( |
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acropolis Rally. |