Acropolis Rally of Greece, WRC 2022

 

A legendary WRC event for decades, which finally returned to the championship last year for the first time after a break of 8 years, ever since 2013. The rally decorated with twisty rocky & gravel mountain roads combined with the high temperatures, added with choking dust to provide a fierce challenge to not just the crew, but equally to the service team who have to fix the damages and niggles.

These years the tracks are smoother than they used to be, yet still hide the punishing surface beneath the smoother dust which sets a tough demand on the tyres and the cars.

Rally begins on 08^th September evening from the Spectator Super Special at the famous Athen's Olympic stadium, specially prepared parallel-tracks which run inside the arena marks the beginning of the event. While the remainder of the rally's 15 stages, including the Power Stage is held on the outskirts of Loutraki till 11^th September 2022. Service park will be situated at the National Trade Fair, Lamia.

Popularly known as the Rally of the Gods, this year's Acropolis Rally will cover a total distance of 1192 km including the 16 special stages with competitive total of 303 km. Summer temperatures are soaring in Acropolis, which makes the stages of Elatia, Bauxites and Tarzan will become even more daunting to the drivers and their cars could succumb to the gremlins of those twisty, dusty, rock-strewn mountain roads.

Like a customary tradition of Acropolis Rally, the iconic Olympic Stadium in the Greek capital Athens will witness a 2 km quick-fire opener super special stage where cars will run two at a time in front of a 60 thousand expected crowd which will act as the prelude to the three days of intense competition that follows to the weekend.

Stages

• The action kicks off on Thursday night with a spectacular 1.95km super special stage inside Athens’ Olympic Stadium (OAKA), tackled by two cars at a time running side-by-side. Competitors head west to overnight in Loutraki, the gateway to the Peloponnese peninsula.
• Friday morning is based in the mountains above the town. A double run through Loutraki sandwiches a single pass of Harvati, after which the route heads north to Lamia via stages at Dafni, Livadia and Bauxites. There is no service during the day, merely a tyre change in Aliartos following Dafni. The six stages total 108.31km.
• The second leg is the longest, packing nearly 150km – almost half the total competitive distance – into two loops of three stages west of Lamia. Pyrgos, at 33.20km the longest test of the weekend, is followed by Perivoli and the famous Tarzan. The loops are separated by service.
• Sunday’s finale heads south and comprises just three stages covering 45.06km. Two runs through Eleftherohori, the second of which forms the rally-closing Wolf Power Stage, sandwich Elatia - Rengini.
• The 16 tests cover 303.30km. 
  

Iconic Stage

• In a rally full of classic tests, Saturday’s Tarzan is perhaps the most iconic of all. It’s less rough than it used to be but remains a hugely difficult challenge. It descends for the opening half after which there is a tough cobbled section which tests suspension and tyres to the full. It is technical throughout and littered with hairpins. Originally known as Fourna, it was renamed in honour of Giorgos Bourgos, an Athens police officer who moved to live in a small home alongside the stage. His nickname was Tarzan.  

Highlights

• Championship leader Kalle Roverpera has to atleast finish the rally with maximum Power Stage points to stay to hold his top position.
  
• The title contenders Ott Tanak, Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans have to put up a fight not just with Kalle, but also amongst themselves which makes the event all important and exciting to watch.
• Sebastien Loeb is also back to WRC in this event, and his position of finish can affect the championship contenders.