Andreas Mikkelsen finished fourth overall at Acropolis Rally Greece in 2013, the last time the event counted as a round towards the FIA World Rally Championship. “I definitely want to build on my experience. What really makes me confident, is the speed and robustness of my ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo on tough gravel roads. I know, that I need a top result in Greece to keep my title chances alive and I will definitely go for it,” says the Norwegian.
Toksport WRT teammate Marco Bulacia from Bolivia is currently third in the WRC2 standings and is looking together with co-driver Marcelo Der Ohannesian (ARG) for another good result. During the last WRC round on gravel they finished third in the category.
The private Polish ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo crew Kajetan Kajetanowicz and co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak won WRC3 category at Rally Croatia and Vodafone Rally de Portugal before they suffered a set-back in Italy due to an accident. At Rally Estonia, they conquered the second category position. Their target for Greece is to close the gap to championship leader Yohan Rossel from France. Also in WRC3, a couple of fast ŠKODA privateers are among the top favourites. Potential top-runners are two crews from Toksport WRT: the 2019 FIA European Rally Champions Chris Ingram/Ross Whittock (GBR/GBR) and Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hämäläinen (FIN/FIN).
17 of the in total 36 Rally2 cars expected at the Acropolis ceremonial start are ŠKODA FABIA, making the Czech brand again the most popular in this class. Toksport WRT alone has entered six crews. To provide support, ŠKODA Motorsport will be present at the Acropolis Rally Greece with technical staff and a truck fully equipped with ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 spare parts.
The EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, dubbed “Rally of the Gods”, features 15 rough gravel stages totalling 292.19 kilometres. The rally starts on Thursday (9 September) 5:30 pm local time in front of the Acropolis, before a short show stage kicks off the action. The podium ceremony is scheduled for Sunday (12 September), 2:38 pm local time.
Did you know, that…
…Acropolis Rally Greece makes a return to the FIA World Rally Championship for the first time since 2013?
…the rally’s twisty and rocky mountain gravel stages under high temperatures offer one of the series’ toughest challenges for men and machine?
…the service park will be situated at the National Trade Fair area in Lamia?
…Acropolis Rally Greece will also host the eSports WRC Championship Grand Final on Wednesday (8 September) in Athens?
Top-3 overall WRC2/Drivers (after 8 of 12 rounds)
1. Andreas Mikkelsen (NOR), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 98 points
2. Mads Østberg (NOR), Citroën C3 Rally2, 87 points
3. Marco Bulacia (BOL), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 82 points
Top-3 overall WRC2/Teams (after 8 of 12 rounds)
1. Toksport WRT (ŠKODA), 168 points
2. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, 131 points
3. Movisport, 125 points
Top-3 overall WRC3/Drivers (after 8 of 12 rounds)
1. Yohan Rossel (FRA), Citroën C3 Rally2, 127 points
2. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 82 points
3. Nicolas Ciamin (FRA), Citroën C3 Rally2, 57 points
2021 FIA World Rally Championship
Rallye Monte-Carlo 21 – 24 January
Arctic Rally Finland powered by CapitalBox 25 – 28 February
Rally Croatia 22 – 25 April
Vodafone Rally Portugal 20 – 23 May
Rally Italia Sardegna 3 – 6 June
Safari Rally Kenya 24 – 27 June
Rally Estonia 15 – 18 July
Renties Ypres Rally Belgium 13 – 15 August
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 9 – 12 September
Rally Finland 30 September – 3 October
RallyRACC Rally de España 14 – 17 October
Rally Japan 11 –14 November
