The eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship season, the legendary Acropolis Rally Greece, takes place on the final weekend of June. This year, the event does not come as part of the traditional Southern European gravel rally sequence, as the previous round was held on the asphalt roads of Japan just three weeks earlier. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 crew Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen arrive in Greece holding fourth place in the championship standings.
Heat is an essential part of the Acropolis Rally’s character, and this year will be no exception. Temperatures are expected to climb to around 35 degrees Celsius during the event, while rough roads and dust will provide additional challenges for both crews and machinery. Although parts of Central and Western Europe are currently experiencing even more extreme temperatures, the forecast for Greece is relatively manageable.
However, the dry and hot conditions bring other concerns as well. Earlier this week, a wildfire burned in the area between Elikon Mt. (SS5) and Thiva (SS7), and smoke has at times drifted toward the rally headquarters in Loutraki due to northerly winds. If the smoke eases, Loutraki’s location on the Isthmus of Corinth, between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf, may at least provide some refreshing breeze around the service park.
Pajari has previous experience of the Acropolis Rally from four seasons. His most successful memory comes from 2024, when he claimed victory in WRC2 and finished fourth overall. Last year, however, his rally ended prematurely on Friday due to a fuel leak. The crew did return on Sunday to gain valuable experience running as one of the road-opening cars, collecting a championship point in the process.
“We have been on a really strong run recently and hopefully we can continue that now that we are going back onto gravel, which is perhaps a more natural surface for me than asphalt anyway. Our performance on gravel in Portugal was really good – one of our best so far – even though we didn’t get a reward for it.”
“The Acropolis is a tough rally but I’ve done quite well there before. I finished P4 with Rally2 car two years ago, and started with good pace last year until we had to stop with a problem. If we can have a clean run this time, I think we can do well”
The action begins on Thursday morning with the shakedown near Loutraki. In the evening, crews head to Athens for the ceremonial start, followed shortly afterwards by a spectator stage on the outskirts of the Greek capital. Later that night, the rally returns to Loutraki. After a short evening service, the cars and crews are loaded onto a ferry for an overnight transfer across the Gulf of Corinth to Itea, where Friday’s challenge begins.
Friday features six special stages in Central Greece, covering a total of 129.22 competitive kilometres. Several of the stages have not been part of the WRC for many years, while others were used as recently as last season. Only one stage, Stiri (SS4/SS6), is run twice, meaning the road-opening crews will face significant cleaning duties throughout the day. A remote service takes place in Livadia at the midpoint of the leg before crews return to Loutraki for the overnight halt.
Saturday consists of six stages totalling 108.69 kilometres. The route heads west from Loutraki into the Peloponnese region. Four stages are run before the midday service, after which two of them are repeated. Some of Saturday’s stages last appeared in the WRC more than a decade ago, while others have little or no recent World Championship history.
Sunday’s final leg includes four stages located relatively close to Loutraki on its eastern side, with a total distance of 84 kilometres. The opening stage, Aghii Theodori (25.38 km), is a familiar name but was last run in this exact configuration in 2013 under the name Kineta. The second stage, Loutraki, was last contested in its current form in 2023 under the name Pissia.
After the first two stages, crews return to service before tackling the same tests once more. A lengthy regroup in Loutraki precedes the Power Stage. In total, the Acropolis Rally features 17 special stages covering 323.77 competitive kilometres.