Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT goes for gold in Acropolis Rally Greece

MANILA: At the renowned Acropolis Rally in Greece, which runs from September 8 to 11, round 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (TGR WRT) hopes to reclaim the top spot on the podium.

The Acropolis, which had been a nearly constant fixture on the WRC calendar until 2013, made a comeback in 2021. It is known for its steep mountain roads and sweltering heat, which together present a difficult task for the vehicles, tires, and drivers.

With four races left, TGR WRT driver Kalle Rovanperä, who won the competition on his first attempt last year, has a lead of 72 points and the chance to go down in rally history if he can finish on the podium in Greece. 

Elfyn Evans is third in the standings and one of those left in the running for the drivers' championship after placing second last time out in Belgium. Esapekka Lappi will compete at the Acropolis for the first time since 2014 after winning two podiums in the previous two editions, and Takamoto Katsuta will compete with TGR WRT Next Generation for the first time.

The Acropolis Rally in Greece this year gets underway on Thursday night with a superspecial stage at the Athens Olympic Stadium, which also served as the venue for the WRC in 2005 and 2006.

Crews then proceed straight west to Loutraki in preparation for two passes of that stage on Friday morning, sandwiched by a single pass of the nearby Harvati.

Three extra stages of the Acropolis Rally Greece are included for the afternoon trip up north to the Lamia service park: a tire-fitting zone separates the new Dafni and Livadia tests, which are then followed by Bauxites.

Nearly half of the rally's competitive distance is covered on Saturday by two loops of three stages west of Lamia. With a distance of 33.2 kilometers, Pyrgos is the longest stage of the weekend and comes before Perivoli's comeback and the illustrious Tarzan test. On Sunday, Elatia-Rengini divides Eleftherohori into two passes, the second of which creates the rally's last Power Stage.

Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team Principal Jari-Matti Latvala stated the goals for the team for Acropolis Rally Greece.

“After being very close to the victory in the last two rallies, we go to Greece really wanting to win, but we know that it won’t be easy on such a tough event. The Acropolis is a legendary rally and it’s great to have it back on the calendar since last year. We saw that the gravel roads there are generally not quite as rough as they were in the past. This means that, although reliability is still really important, we also need to have a strong level of performance.”

Photos from Toyota Gazoo Racing

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