ATHENS, Greece (AP) — It’s dubbed the “Rally of Gods” — a punishing, four-day event on the World Rally Championship circuit that will take 69 crews from 31 countries across rough, treacherous terrain in Greece.
Known for its brutal combination of dust and heat on its twisty, mountainous stages, the Acropolis Rally started on Thursday afternoon with a special stage in the very center of Athens. Unlike much of the rest of the rally, the start will see the cars sliding on city streets outside Greece’s parliament building near the foot of the Acropolis.
Roads in the Greek capital’s center shut down hours before the official start time in preparation for the event. This year’s competition comes as the summer’s first heatwave hits Greece, with temperatures forecast to surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), which is sure to test the crews.
Drivers who completed a “shakedown” practice stage Thursday morning ahead of the official opening said they were expecting a tough event due to the heat and dust.
“Obviously it’s a super hot weekend, so it’s going to be intense in the car. Not only in the car, but for everything,” said eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier of France.
The seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship includes some of the most iconic and challenging stages of the championship and spans four regions in central and southern Greece.
Finland’s two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera said it was clear from the shakedown that “it’s going to be quite a tough weekend with the conditions.”
“This area is quite open and we had a lot of dust already, so I think on the stage it’s going to be an issue. It’s going to be a really tough event this year, rough conditions, so anything can happen,” he said.
The four-day competition features 17 special stages over more than 345 kilometers (about 215 miles). The event attracts top teams and drivers, including four world champions: Ogier, Rovanpera, Belgium’s Thierry Neuville, and Ott Tanak of Estonia.
Neuville, the 2024 world champion, and Japan’s Takamoto Katsuta set the fastest time on Thursday’s 3.62 kilometer shakedown with a 2 minute, 37.9 second run. Tanak, the 2019 world champion, was just 0.6 seconds behind.
“It’s Greece, so nothing is predictable here,” Tanak said.
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Ellingworth contributed from Dusseldorf, Germany
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