Acropolis Rally

Harri Rovanperä with a Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 at the 2005 event.
Loeb with Citroën DS3 WRC at the 2011 event

The Acropolis Rally of Greece (Greek: Ράλλυ Ακρόπολις) is a rally competition, part of the European Rally Championship schedule. The rally is held on very dusty, rough and rocky mountain roads around Athens during the Greek hot summer period. The rally is known for being extremely tough on the competing cars and drivers. The highlight of the rally was the Super Special Stage in the Athens Olympic Stadium (SSS). In 2005, it was announced the Rally of the Year.

The Acropolis Rally has been held for 51 years by the Greek Motorsports Organization Automobile and Touring Club of Greece (ELPA), making it one of the longest-standing in world rallying. Many famous rallying individuals have won this event including Walter Röhrl, Björn Waldegård, Ari Vatanen, Stig Blomqvist, Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, among others. Due to the nature of the rally, with a mix of rough, twisty mountain stages and coupled with blistering heat and choking dust, the Acropolis Rally is one of the toughest on the world rally circuit. Cars that are used in this race have to be built with extra sturdiness in order to cope with the fast but rock-strewn stages. Drivers and co-drivers also have to contend with the pounding terrain and high summer temperatures which often reach 50 °C within the cockpit.

In 2005 a new stage was introduced; a superspecial stage held within the Olympic Stadium of Athens. In 2006 there were 2 superspecials, again in the same stadium. The rally headquarters and the service park also moved from Lamia to the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. In the 2007 event, the superspecial (along with the rally headquarters and the service park) moved to the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre. In 2008 the super special stage was held twice at the Tatoi military airport. Since 2009 the rally headquarters and the service park were moved to the Greek city of Loutraki near the famous Corinth Canal. In 2016, the rally headquarters were moved back to the classic mountain stages above Lamia.

Winners

Nasser Al-Attiyah driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STI at the 2006 event.
YearDriver
Co-driver
CarChampionship
2016 Latvia Ralfs Sirmacis
Latvia Arturs Šimins
Skoda Fabia R5 ERC
2015 Poland Kajetan Kajetanowicz
Poland Jarosław Baran
Ford Fiesta R5 ERC
2014 Republic of Ireland Craig Breen
United Kingdom Scott Martin
Peugeot 208 T16 R5 ERC
2013 Finland Jari-Matti Latvala
Finland Miikka Anttila
Volkswagen Polo R WRC WRC
2012 France Sébastien Loeb
Monaco Daniel Elena
Citroën DS3 WRC WRC
2011 France Sébastien Ogier
France Julien Ingrassia
Citroën DS3 WRC [1] WRC
2010Not held
2009 Finland Mikko Hirvonen
Finland Jarmo Lehtinen
Ford Focus RS WRC 09 WRC
2008 France Sébastien Loeb
Monaco Daniel Elena
Citroën C4 WRC WRC
2007 Finland Marcus Grönholm
Finland Timo Rautiainen
Ford Focus RS WRC 06 WRC
2006 Finland Marcus Grönholm
Finland Timo Rautiainen
Ford Focus RS WRC 06 WRC
2005 France Sébastien Loeb
Monaco Daniel Elena
Citroën Xsara WRC WRC
2004 Norway Petter Solberg
Wales Phil Mills
Subaru Impreza S10 WRC '04 WRC
2003 Estonia Markko Märtin
United Kingdom Michael Park
Ford Focus RS WRC 03 WRC
2002 Scotland Colin McRae
Wales Nicky Grist
Ford Focus RS WRC 01 WRC
2001 Scotland Colin McRae
Wales Nicky Grist
Ford Focus RS WRC 01 WRC
2000 United Kingdom Colin McRae
United Kingdom Nicky Grist
Ford Focus RS WRC 00 WRC
1999 United Kingdom Richard Burns
United Kingdom Robert Reid
Subaru Impreza S5 WRC '99 WRC
1998 United Kingdom Colin McRae
Wales Nicky Grist
Subaru Impreza S4 WRC '98 WRC
1997 Spain Carlos Sainz
Spain Luis Moya
Ford Escort WRC WRC
1996 Scotland Colin McRae
Scotland Derek Ringer
Subaru Impreza 555 WRC
1995 Greece Aris Vovos
Greece Kostas Stefanis
Lancia Delta HF Integrale
1994 Spain Carlos Sainz
Spain Luis Moya
Subaru Impreza 555 WRC
1993 Italy Miki Biasion
Italy Tiziano Siviero
Ford Escort RS Cosworth WRC
1992France Didier Auriol
France Bernard Occelli
Lancia Delta HF Integrale WRC
1991Finland Juha Kankkunen
Finland Juha Piironen
Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16v WRC
1990Spain Carlos Sainz
Spain Luis Moya
Toyota Celica GT-Four WRC
1989 Italy Miki Biasion
Italy Tiziano Siviero
Lancia Delta HF Integrale WRC
1988 Italy Miki Biasion
Italy Tiziano Siviero
Lancia Delta HF Integrale WRC
1987 Finland Markku Alén
Finland Ilkka Kivimäki
Lancia Delta HF 4WD WRC
1986Finland Juha Kankkunen
Finland Juha Piironen
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 WRC
1985Finland Timo Salonen
Finland Seppo Harjanne
Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 E2 WRC
1984Sweden Stig Blomqvist
Sweden Björn Cederberg
Audi Quattro A2 WRC
1983Germany Walter Röhrl
Germany Christian Geistdörfer
Lancia 037 Rally WRC
1982France Michèle Mouton
Italy Fabrizia Pons
Audi Quattro WRC
1981Finland Ari Vatanen
United Kingdom David Richards
Ford Escort RS 1800 WRC
1980Finland Ari Vatanen
United Kingdom David Richards
Ford Escort RS 1800 WRC
1979Sweden Björn Waldegård
Sweden Hans Thorszelius
Ford Escort RS 1800 WRC
1978Germany Walter Röhrl
Germany Christian Geistdörfer
Fiat 131 Abarth WRC
1977Sweden Björn Waldegård
Sweden Hans Thorszelius
Ford Escort RS 1800 WRC
1976Sweden Harry Källström
Sweden Claes-Göran Andersson
Datsun Violet 160J WRC
1975Germany Walter Röhrl
Germany Jochen Berger
Opel Ascona 1.9 SR WRC
1974Event cancelled due to the oil crisis.
1973 France Jean-Luc Thérier
Belgium Christian Delferrier
Alpine-Renault A110 1800 WRC
1972Sweden Håkan Lindberg
Italy Helmut Eisendle
Fiat 124 Sport Spider IMC
1971 Sweden Ove Andersson
Sweden Arne Hertz
Alpine-Renault A110 1600 IMC
1970 France Jean-Luc Thérier
France Marcel Callewaert
Alpine-Renault A110 1600 IMC
1969 Finland Pauli Toivonen
Finland Martti Kolari
Porsche 911 S
1968 United Kingdom Roger Clark
United Kingdom Jim Porter
Ford Escort Twin Cam ERC
1967United Kingdom Paddy Hopkirk
United Kingdom Ron Crellin
Mini Cooper S ERC
1966Sweden Bengt Söderström
Sweden Gunnar Palm
Ford Cortina Lotus ERC
1965Sweden Carl-Magnus Skogh
Sweden Lennart Berggren
Volvo Amazon 122S ERC
1964Sweden Tom Trana
Sweden Gunnar Thermanius
Volvo PV 544 ERC
1963Germany Eugen Böhringer
Germany Rolf Knoll
Mercedes-Benz 300 SE ERC
1962Germany Eugen Böhringer
Germany Peter Lang
Mercedes-Benz 220 SE ERC
1961Sweden Erik Carlsson
Sweden Walter Karlsson
Saab 96 ERC
1960 Germany Walter Shock
Germany Rolf Moll
Mercedes-Benz 220 SE ERC
1959Germany Wolfgang LevyAuto Union
1958Italy Luigi VilloresiLancia
1957France Jean-Pierre EstagerFerrari
1956Germany Walter ShockMercedes-Benz
1955Greece Johnny PesmatzoglouOpel
1954Greece Pétros PapadópoulosOpel
1953Greece Nikos PapamichailJaguar
1952Greece Johnny PesmatzoglouChevrolet(as ELPA Rally)
1951Greece Petros PeratikosFiat

Number of victories per driver (WRC only)

Since 1973, the first WRC season (excluding the 1995 event).

5 victories 3 victories 2 victories 1 victory
Colin McRae ( United Kingdom) Miki Biasion ( Italy) Ari Vatanen ( Finland) Jean-Luc Thérier ( France)
Carlos Sainz ( Spain) Björn Waldegård ( Sweden) Harry Källström ( Sweden)
Walter Röhrl ( Germany) Juha Kankkunen ( Finland) Michèle Mouton ( France)
Sébastien Loeb ( France) Marcus Grönholm ( Finland) Stig Blomqvist ( Sweden)
Timo Salonen ( Finland)
Markku Alén ( Finland)
Didier Auriol ( France)
Richard Burns ( United Kingdom)
Markko Märtin ( Estonia)
Petter Solberg ( Norway)
Mikko Hirvonen ( Finland)
Sébastien Ogier ( France)
Jari-Matti Latvala ( Finland)

References

External links

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