The 52nd Acropolis Rally takes place this coming weekend - the eighth round out of sixteen in the 2005
FIA World Rally Championship.
Greece will also play host to the fourth round in the 2005 FIA Junior WRC.
The event begins on Thursday [June 23], with a Super-special stage in Athens.
Special notes:
The Acropolis Rally is the final event in a quartet of hot and rough Mediterranean gravel rallies.
It is renowned for its high temperatures, abrasive surfaces and loose rocks that litter the stages.
The rally has a reputation as a car-breaker, with tyres and mechanical components pushed to the limit along rough dirt tracks at average speeds higher than those on the preceding rounds in Cyprus and Turkey.
Although the event is based in central Greece, around the HQ town of Lamia, Thursday's start will take place in Athens with an ambitious side-by-side Superspecial stage built in the Olympic Stadium. The stage features two 1.2km loops, a bridge crossover and an asphalt road surface - even though the cars will be fitted with gravel tyres. With 45,000 of the 60,000 available tickets already sold, and with a guest list that includes the Greek Prime Minister, the Acropolis Superspecial looks set to be one of the most extravagant stages of the season.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
Sebastien Loeb leads the World Rally drivers' championship - having extended his advantage after winning in Turkey. The Frenchman is 13 points ahead of
Petter Solberg and a further 4 points up on
Markko Martin, who lies third.
In the constructors' championship meanwhile, Peugeot still lead, but
Citroen are now only 4 points behind.
News from the Manufacturers' teams:
