With 72 crews the 2023 Acropolis Rally

In the anniversary version of the race for its 70 years of presence on the international sports scene, 72 crews from 31 countries will start under the Acropolis on the evening of Thursday, September 7.

The largest number of crews of the last 17 years is gathered in the participation list of EKO Rally Acropolis 2023! More than this year’s 72 entries, the race featured 2006, a year in which 84 cars crossed the starting ramp.

But apart from its numerical fullness, the 10th round of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship is also notable for the quality of the entries in each category, with the contenders for all the titles coming to Greece.

Ten Rally1 class hybrid cars will compete in the Greek mountains from 7 to 10 September, with the supporting WRC2 class fielding an additional thirty entries. At the same time, for the third consecutive year the Greek presence will be strong, with 20 crews, while the title for the Youth Championship will be decided in Greece, as the EKO Rally Acropolis is the seventh and final round of the JWRC Championship.

2022 World Champion Toyota Gazoo Racing will line up in the race with four GR Yaris Rally1s. Alongside the usual suspects, Kalle Rovanpera, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, Greek spectators will be lucky enough to once again see 8-time World Champion Sebastien Ogier competing in select events.

Hyundai Shell Mobis is expected with three i20N Rally1, for the regulars in its ranks, Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi, but also the experienced Dani Sordo who was recruited for the EKO Rally Acropolis.

After a series of mediocre performances in Estonia and Finland, M-Sport Ford is aiming to end its bad run in Greece. The first violin in her effort will be the World Champion of 2019, Ott Tanak, while, with two more Puma Rally1s, the young Pierre-Louis Loubet will appear, as well as Iordanis Serderidis with the Greek flag, in his fourth participation in this year’s Championship. then Monte Carlo Rally, Mexico and Safari.

In the battle of WRC2, thirty cars of this kind will declare their “present” at the EKO Rally Acropolis – among them the protagonists of the Greek races. The name of the leader in the standings Andreas Mikkelsen stands out in the list, who wants to take a decisive step towards winning the title. His task is expected to be far from easy, since with the same car (Skoda Fabia Rally2) he will have the winner of the Finland Rally in the category, Sami Pajari, the second in the standings, Yohan Rossel (Citroen C3 Rally2), and Oliver Solberg (Skoda Fabia Rally2), Gus Greensmith (Skoda Fabia), Nikolay Gryazin (Skoda Fabia), Andrien Fourmaux (Ford Fiesta Rally2) etc.

The Champion of Greece (2021, 2023), Alexandros Tsouloftas (Volkswagen Polo GTi Rally2), will try to repeat his last year’s success (9th overall and third WRC2 Open), while Lambros Athanasoulas will also start the race with high goals, who for the third consecutive year he will be behind the wheel of an i20 Rally2, with the support of Hyundai Hellas. Armed with his experience, the Greek Champion (2019) Giorgos Kehagias is expected to be among the protagonists, who will have a Skoda Fabia Rally2 at his disposal. Another Greek Champion, namely the 2016 title holder, Giorgos Filippidis, returns to the Acropolis Rally -after five years-, also driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2. The Greek interest is expected to win entries such as those of Vassilis Velanis and Panagiotis Roustemis (both with Skoda Fabia Rally2), but also of the fastest on dirt, Chrysostomou Karellis (Citroen C3 Rally2).

At the EKO Rally Acropolis, the curtain will fall on the Youth Championship (JWRC), an institution in which the future stars of the WRC participate in Ford Fiesta Rally3. All the main protagonists are expected in Greece, with Ireland’s William Creighton the firm favorite for the title. In terms of years, “against” them will be Greek crews with cars of similar specifications. Themis Chalkias is expected in the brand new Renault Clio Rally3, while the F2 Champion for the last three years, Nontas Karanikolas will start in a Ford Fiesta Rally3, as will the talented Spyros Galerakis.

However, the RC4 category will also be of interest, with six Greek crews on the acropolis special routes with two-wheeled cars of Rally4 specifications. The reason for Savva Lefkaditis, Paschalis Hatzimarkos, Theodoros Kalamaras and Adkanell with Peugeot 208, for Yiannis Plagos who returns to Acropolis, this time with a Ford Fiesta, and the evergreen Haris Kaltsounis (Opel Corsa), who, at age 74 years old continues to write his own history in Rally Acropolis.

See the participation list.