An event as demanding as it is legendary provides the next instalment in the thrilling chase of the overall FIA Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles for 2024, which resumes after the summer break.

With four events remaining, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team’s Thierry Neuville leads the provisional standings on 168 points. But Sébastien Ogier is just 27 points behind in what is fast becoming a bid for a record-equalling ninth world crown by the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT driver, who has committed to an expanded event schedule, having initially planned a partial season.

Having banked 137 and 132 points respectively, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans remain firmly in contention for the coveted FIA WRC title, while fifth-placed Adrien Fourmaux is still in the fight.

With Oliver Solberg not including EKO Acropolis Rally on his event schedule for the season, Toyota-driving Finn Sami Pajari can move to within three points of his Škoda Fabia RS-mounted rival in FIA WRC2 for Rally2 cars. Yohan Rossel, currently third in the standings, can also close the gap to Solberg with a strong result in Greece aboard his Citroën C3.

The 68th running of the Acropolis Rally will decide the FIA Junior WRC champion for 2024. And with double points on offer, the outcome of the young driver category – and the FIA WRC2 prize drive for 2025 – remains wide open.

Among the contenders for the coveted crown are two members of the FIA Rally Star global talent search, Taylor Gill from Australia and Estonia’s Romet Jürgenson. After four rounds, Jürgenson tops the provisional FIA Junior WRC standings with an eight-point advantage over Gill to underline the standout performances of these two emerging hopefuls across the  season, their first at world level.

Jürgenson entered the FIA Rally Star process after being nominated by the Estonian Autosport Union, his national ASN, for his performances in esports events, while Taylor came through Motorsport Australia’s slalom-based selection.

The Acropolis Rally, which was on the calendar when the WRC began in 1973, is traditionally held in hot and dusty conditions and marks the final loose-surface round of European season and the sixth to take place on gravel so far in 2024.

FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid, FIA Vice President for Sport Europe Anna Nordkvist, WRC Commission Chair Pernilla Solberg and FIA Road Sport Director Andrew Wheatley will all be in attendance during EKO Acropolis Rally.

Chair of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission Burcu Çetinkaya will also be present. Çetinkaya is preparing to make her first WRC start since her home round of the championship in 2018. The Turkish driver is entered in a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo alongside Fabrizia Pons. Now 69, Pons co-drove Michèle Mouton to four WRC victories in the 1980s.

Meanwhile, FIA WRC’s official tyre supplier Pirelli will equip all Rally1 cars competing in Greece with its Scorpion KX tyre, which is available in hard and soft compounds. The hard compound has been designed for use in warm and dry weather and is offered as the first choice. The soft compound option tyre is preferred for cool and damp conditions. Rally1 teams can use a maximum of 28 tyres for the event with four of those allocated for Shakedown.

EKO Service Park in Lamia to operate with near-zero carbon footprint

As part of its ongoing commitment to improving its environmental performance in compliance with the FIA’s own sustainability goals, EKO Acropolis Rally organisers have worked in close collaboration with the Municipality of Lamia to sign an agreement with the Hellenic Public Power Corporation (DEI). This will ensure that all the electricity required to meet the energy needs of the EKO Service Park in Lamia, estimated at around one megawatt-hour (MWh), will be sourced from renewable energy.

It marks the first time in Greece that a large-scale international sporting event has taken such an initiative, bringing it one step closer to climate neutrality and adaptation to climate change, in line with the provisions of the National Climate Law. Click here for more information.

EKO ACROPOLIS RALLY ROUTE IN SHORT

Innovation and excitement were key targets for the event organising team during the preparation of the route for the 68th Acropolis Rally, which received FIA approval after a handful of revisions were made to maximise the amount of rest time available.

In a change to the traditional format of a start and opening superspecial stage in Athens, this year’s event begins in Lamia, the location of the service park and ceremonial finish, with the itinerary taking crews south from Lamia towards the Greek capital during leg two instead. One key benefit of the move is fans assembled at the end-of-Saturday superspecial will get to watch the conclusion of leg two, after which interim championship points are awarded. The superspecial location, which uses one of Greece’s major motorways and offers free admission, was selected to provide easy access for as many fans as possible, including those living in Athens as well as the Central Greece and Peloponnese regions.

Following shakedown and the Ceremonial Start on Thursday, Friday’s first leg consists of three stages run either side of service in Lamia. Covering 135.02 timed kilometres, it’s the longest leg of the event.

Saturday’s second leg gets under way with the 28.67 kilometres of Rengini, the longest of the rally, which marks the start of the journey south to Loutraki, the location of the Tyre Fitting Zone following modified versions of Thiva and Aghii Theodori. The three morning stages are rerun in the afternoon prior to the EKO SSS from 21:05 local time.

The previously unused Inohori test launches Sunday’s deciding leg with two visits to the Eleftherohori stage either side of service in Lamia also included on the route. The second pass of Eleftherohori forms the points-paying Wolf Power Stage from 13:15.

EKO ACROPOLIS RALLY DATA

Stage distance: 305.30 km

Total distance: 1392.24 km

Number of stages: 15

RALLY1 CONTENDERS

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team: First and a close third respectively in the provisional standings, Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak continue to head the Hyundai challenge. Dani Sordo returns to the WRC for the first time since Rally Italia Sardegna in June to pilot a third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid for the Germany-based squad, thereby reforming the line-up that banked an Acropolis podium lockout in 2022.

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team: Emerging talents Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster will chase points and more experience in the British outfit’s Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrids along with Greek driver Jourdan Serderidis.

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team: After entering five Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrids on Secto Rally Finland, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT switches to a three-car attack featuring Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier – currently second in the provisional title table.

SUPPORTING CATEGORIES

After impressing with a stage-winning performance on his Rally1 debut in Finland, Sami Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) returns to the FIA WRC2 ranks in Greece where his opposition includes Citroën C3 Rally2 pair Nikolay Gryazin and Yohan Rossel (DG Sport Competition), fellow Yaris-mounted runners Georg Linnamäe and Jan Solans, plus Škoda Fabia RS Rally2-powered Gus Greensmith and Josh McErlean (Toksport), Lauri Joona, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Robert Virves.

Armin Kremer, who is co-driven by his daughter Ella, is the leading WRC Masters Cup entrant with Georgios Vasilakis the top Greek seed. They’re among a total WRC2 entry of 29 crews.

A bulging 19-car FIA WRC3 entry has been assembled with 14 crews chasing FIA Junior WRC points on the fifth and final event of the season for the Pirelli-supplied category for Ford Fiesta Rally3s run by M-Sport Poland. The WRC3 entry further highlights the growing popularity of the FIA’s accessible four-wheel-drive category.

MEDIA INFORMATION

Media accreditation

Media accreditation for EKO Acropolis Rally must be collected in person by accredited pass holders from the Accreditation Desk located as follows: Lamia National Trade Fair, 230 kilometres north of Athens Airport. GPS coordinates: N38°53.422, E22°26.929

Opening hours

Tuesday September 3: 14:00 – 19:00 hrs

Wednesday September 4: 08:00 – 21:00 hrs

Thursday September 5: 08:00 – 20:00 hrs

Friday September 6: upon request only by emailing accreditations@acropolisrally.gr

In addition, accreditation can also be collected from the Motorsport Greece office in Athens from 08:00 – 21:00hrs on Wednesday September 4.

Media Centre location and opening hours

The Media Centre is located as follows: Lamia National Trade Fair, 230 kilometres north of Athens Airport. GPS coordinates: N38°53.422, E22°26.929

Opening hours

Monday September 2: 14:00 – 19:00 hrs

Tuesday September 3: 08:00 – 21:00 hrs

Wednesday September 4: 08:00 – 21:00 hrs

Thursday September 5: 07:15 hrs until the last accredited media representative leaves

Friday September 6: 07:30 hrs until the last accredited media representative leaves

Saturday September 7: 07:45 hrs until the last accredited media representative leaves

Sunday September 8: 08:30 hrs until the last accredited media representative leaves

Media activities and opportunities

Wednesday September 4

17:00                          Mandatory Tabard Media Safety Briefing (Media Centre and online)

Thursday September 5

09:01-10:30                Shakedown for P1 drivers and invited P2 drivers (3.62km)

10:31-11:30                Shakedown for all priority drivers (3.62km)

11:31-12:30                Shakedown for P3, P4 and non-priority drivers (3.62km)

12:30-14:00                FIA WRC Media Pen for P1 and P2 drivers and P1 TPs (EKO Service Park, Lamia)

17:30-18:00                Autograph session with all P1 crews (Ceremonial Start area, Lamia)

18:05-19:00 hrs          FIA WRC Meet the Crews for invited crews & team rep. (Ceremonial Start)

19:00                          Ceremonial Start (Ceremonial Start area, Lamia)

Friday September 6

07:15                          Start of Section 1 (EKO Service Park, Lamia)

20:00 (approx.)          FIA WRC Meet the Crews with P1 TPs & top 3 drivers (EKO Service Pak, Lamia)

Saturday September 7

07:15                          Start of Section 3 (Parc Fermé, EKO Service Park, Lamia)

19:25 (approx.)          FIA WRC Meet the Crews with top 3 P1 drivers and top 2 P2 drivers (EKO SSS)

Sunday September 8

06:50                          Start of Section 7 (Parc Fermé, EKO Service Park, Lamia)

15:25                          Post-event FIA Press Conference (Finish Ramp, Lamia)

15:55                          Podium Ceremony and Prize-giving (Finish Ramp, Lamia)

(All times local, approximate and subject to change)

Media zones

Media Zones attended by all drivers and selected team representatives will operate as follows:

TC 3A, TC 6A, TC 9A, TC 11A, TC 12A, TC 14A and TC15A

FIA WRC Meet the Crews, Start Ramp, Ceremonial Start, Lamia, Thursday September 5

18:05-18:25 - FIA Junior WRC Drivers and Key Personnel

FIA Rally Star, Romet Jürgenson (EST), Ford Fiesta Rally3

FIA Rally Star, Taylor Gill (AUS), Ford Fiesta Rally3

Diego Dominguez (PRY), Ford Fiesta Rally3

Castrol Ford Team Türkiye, Ali Türkkan (TUR), Ford Fiesta Rally3

FIA Junior WRC Programme Manager, Maciej Woda (POL)

18:25-18:40 - FIA WRC2 and WRC3 Championship Drivers

DG Sport Competition, Yohan Rossel (FRA), Citroën C3 Rally2

Lambros Athanasoulas (GRC), Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo

Burcu Çetinkaya (TUR), Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo

Konstantinos Stefanis (GRC), Ford Fiesta Rally3

18:40-19:00 - FIA WRC Drivers

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, Thierry Neuville (BEL), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT, Dani Sordo (ESP), Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Sébastien Ogier (FRA), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid

M-Sport Ford WRT, Adrien Fourmaux (LUX), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid

M-Sport Ford WRT, Jourdan Sederidis (GRC), Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid

FIA WRC Team Principals are required to join their respective crews for interviews on the Start Ramp.

FIA Post-event Press Conference, Finish Ramp, Lamia, Sunday September 8, 15:25

Top 3 drivers in overall classification, winning co-driver and representative of winning manufacturer

Winning FIA WRC2, WRC2 Challenger, WRC3 and Masters Cup drivers

Top 3 Junior WRC drivers in overall classification

FIA WRC Meet the Crews live interviews and FIA Post-event Press Conference broadcast on FIA and WRC social media channels.

EKO ACROPOLIS RALLY MANUFACTURER ENTRIES

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT                 Sébastien Ogier (FRA)/Vincent Landais (FRA) - #17

Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) - #33

                                                           Takamoto Katsuta (JPN)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) - #18

Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT                  Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) - #11

                                                           Ott Tänak (EST)/Martin Järveoja (EST) - #8

                                                           Dani Sordo (ESP)/Cándido Carrera (ESP) - #6

M-Sport Ford WRT                             Adrien Fourmaux (FRA)/Alexandre Coria (FRA) - #16

                                                           Grégoire Munster (LUX)/Louis Louka (BEL) - #13

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 CLASSIFICATION

The provisional classifications following round nine of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship are available here: https://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2024/standings

ACROPOLIS RALLY 2023 RESULTS

1.         K. Rovanperä (FIN)/J. Halttunen (FIN)           Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid                       3h16m.7s

2.         E. Evans (GBR)/S. Martin (GBR)                     Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid                       +1m31.7s

3.         D. Sordo (ESP)/C. Carrera (ESP)                     Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid              +1m35.9s

ACROPOLIS RALLY RECENT WINNERS*

2023    Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen    Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid

2022    Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe Hyundai i20 N Rally1

2021    Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen    Toyota Yaris WRC

2013    Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila       Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2012    Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena             Citroën DS3 WRC

*WRC events only