Preview: Acropolis Rally.

The toughest meet the roughest this weekend, as the WRC stars line-up for a crack at the Greek marathon that is the Acropolis.

The event is recognised as posing one of the biggest challenges to drivers and machinery alike, as rock-strewn roads and soaring temperatures put the Acropolis on a par with the fabled Safari Rally in the hard to win category.

Every year the organisers promise that the route will smoother but the leading teams have now learnt to take these assurances with a large pinch of salt. Even in the roads start off with more than a few ripples evident, by the time a handful of the front runners have passed through, all manner of gravel, stones and boulders have been pulled to the surface to catch unsuspecting later arrivals.

Because of this, the works teams have formulated their own solutions to combat the obstacles placed in their path. Reinforced suspension, stronger wheel, puncture protection, armoured undersides and as much help for their suffering drivers as possible all go into the mix to produce the right car for the conditions, in the hope that it will survive the three days intact. The cars might be heavier, but they are also more likely to see the finish ramp.

Subaru's Richard Burns won last year's event almost as he pleased and, having already moved into a comfortable championship advantage in 2000, the 1999 series runner-up will be hoping for more of the same this time around. The Englishman's new Impreza WRC2000 has been successful on both its gravel outings since its introduction, and comes to Greece fresh from success in Argentina almost a month ago.

''After what happened in Argentina three weeks ago, where we ran cold weather settings and still managed to win, I'm very confident of the car's abilities to succeed in the conditions,'' Burns said, ''My main aim is to win here again - I've managed to the Rally of Great Britain twice in a row, and it would be great to do the double in Greece as well.''

Burns will be under the usual pressure from the pack behind him, however, with Ford's Colin McRae and reigning champ Tommi Makinen leading the charge.

McRae is desperate to get another good result from his notoriously unreliable Focus WRC after last ditch disappointment in South America. The Scot insists that the car is getting better - and stronger - all the time, but is keen to prove that his victory in Catalunya was no fluke. He might be plagued with rumours about his future with Malcolm Wilson's outfit, but the Acropolis will only give him another window to show that talent that everyone already know he possesses.

''I am confident in our chances of a top finish and, judging by our pace here last year we are certainly going to be competitive,'' the Scot said, ''The big question, though, will be what Subaru can manage to do on this ground.''

Makinen, on the other hand, will simply be hoping to put a dent in Burns' championship lead, as he seeks to win a record fifth consecutive title. Mitsubishi Ralliart boss Andrew Cowan claims that the rally world has not been treated to an on-song Makinen for some time but, now that he appears to have shaken off whatever ailment had been holding him back, the Finn should be pushing for victory on an even he has never one.

''This has not been one of my luckiest events,'' Makinen admits, ''and it is one of the hardest of all to win, but the car is strong and reliable, and that is a good starting point.''

Victory for Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, will be nothing new. The Spaniard, who has enjoyed better luck than Ford team-mate McRae in 2000, has shown in the past that he can cope with whatever the Acropolis can throw at him and, provided his car holds out, will be there or thereabouts on Sunday afternoon.

Likewise, Peugeot hopes that past experience will be an advantage this year, returning to the first world rally it contested with the 206WRC in 1999. Marcus Gronholm currently lies second to Burns in the standings, and has surprised many with his showings this season, but will hope to repeat his Argentine form with a better result this weekend.

''The early retirement last year prevented me from getting to know the stages that well,'' Gronholm admitted, ''It is going to be a case of finding just how fast we can go, and I will take things steadily at first. We won stages in Argentina last month, and on stages that I did not know, so I am hopeful that I can do the same again here.''

Team-mate Francois Delecour remains an enigma, and could yet prove to be a dark horse in Greece. More at home on tarmac, the fiery Frenchman has struggled to score points in 2000, but who knows.... Irish prospect Mark Fisher completes the Peugeot trio, receiving his first taste of WRC action as a result of winning the 106 Cup last year, and is looking for survival as much as a result. An unknown, it will be interesting to see how he fares against the regulars.

Of the rest, SEAT's Didier Auriol and Skoda's Armin Schwarz could spring a surprise, picking up places as others crash out, but it will be as hard for them to get a good result as it will for most of the field. Schwarz will have to put up with the original spec Octavia, after Skoda decided not to risk the revised version on the Acropolis, while Auriol will hope for more pace from his Cordoba. Alister McRae and Kenneth Eriksson will both also be present for Hyundai, but are expected to struggle.

''I have never even been to Greece on holiday, so it will be very new to me,'' revealed Auriol's team-mate Toni Gardemeister, ''It will be especially difficult on the fast sections, because those are the hardest to make pace notes for until you really know the roads.''

Each crews task has been made all the harder this weekend by the FIA ruling that each member has to wear full, three-layer overalls throughout the event. More used to sweating it out in lightweight versions designed for hotter events, most pairings have already expressed their concerns about dehydration and heat exhaustion.

''We weren't consulted on the issue, we were just told,'' complained Colin McRae's co-driver Nicky Grist, ''I understand why they want the rule, but I am also worried about the consequences. We have data on heat exhaustion from our trainer but, in the car, it is something different again.''

The event begins tomorrow [Friday] with five stages leading from the start in the shadow of the Parthenon to an overnight halt at Itea, before another 14 stages spread evenly over Saturday and Sunday. The finish is scheduled for 18-00 on Sunday.

Leading entries - Acropolis Rally.

1. Tommi Makinen-Risto Mannisenmaki Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6
2. Freddy Loix-Sven Smeets Mitsubishi Carisma GT
3. Richard Burns-Robert Reid Subaru Impreza WRC2000
4. Juha Kankkunen-Juha Repo Subaru Impreza WRC2000
5. Colin McRae-Nicky Grist Ford Focus WRC
6. Carlos Sainz-Luis Moya Ford Focus WRC
7. Didier Auriol-Denis Giraudet SEAT Cordoba WRC
8. Toni Gardemeister-Paavo Lukander SEAT Cordoba WRC
9. Francois Delecour-Daniel Grataloup Peugeot 206WRC
10. Marcus Gronholm-Timo Rautiainen Peugeot 206WRC
11. Armin Schwarz-Manfred Heimer Skoda Octavia WRC
12. Luis Climent-Alex Romani Skoda Octavia WRC
14. Kenneth Eriksson-Staffan Parmander Hyundai Accent WRC
15. Alister McRae-David Senior Hyundai Accent WRC
16. Petter Solberg-Philip Mills Ford Focus WRC
17. Marko Martin-Michael Park Toyota Corolla WRC
40. Mark Fisher-Gordon Noble Peugeot 206WRC