The EKO Acropolis Rally was bound to be impacted due to the intense and persistent weather phenomenon named Daniel, which affected the greater part of the mainland. However, everyone’s mind is on safety and with the afflicted residents during this trying time.

During the third and theoretically last day of reconnaissance for the EKO Acropolis Rally, the programme had to be changed repeatedly, due to the ongoing heavy rainfall and thunderstorms that hit Greece on Monday evening.
Rally officials, following every development of the weather conditions, were forced to modify today's programme, initially deciding to reduce the length of SS 14/15 Grammeni by 10.77 km.

After evaluating the conditions and the state of the road surface, it was decided to cancel tomorrow’s Shakedown. Additionally, at 6:00 am, it will be decided how the crews will carry out the reconnaissance of SS 7/10 Pavliani, as the procedure had to be interrupted before its completion.
The drivers' comments describe the current status.

For high-resolution photos, click here.

#69 Kalle ROVANPERÄ / Jonne HALTTUNEN
“It’s not like we know from this Rally. It’s really wet and muddy. The gravel is different, and full of mud. You have no grip.”

#33 Elfyn EVANS / Scott MARTIN
“Emergency 112 alarms on the phone all the time! It’s not ideal now, but we know it can dry quickly. Let’s wait and see.”

#11 Thierry NEUVILLE / Martijn WYDAEGHE
“It's going to be a tough challenge ahead; the recce has been really difficult. The conditions are challenging. It is hard to create accurate pacenotes. There may be changes in the conditions, making the stages more dry, and the speed higher. Overall, it's not going to be easy.”

#8 Ott TÄNAK / Martin JÄRVEOJA
“It’s quite messy at the moment.”

#17 Sebástien OGIER / Vincent LANDAIS
“The conditions are difficult due to a lot of mud. Weather is expected to change in the coming days, so it will be a challenge for everyone, as we don't know what to expect. It won't just be experience that matters, but also luck.”

#4 Esapekka LAPPI / Janne FERM
“It's challenging to deal with these weather conditions. If the rain stops and it becomes dry, it will also be difficult.”

#18 Takamoto KATSUTA / Aaron JOHNSTON
“Currently, the conditions are quite difficult. Hopefully, it will dry up. A lot can change, because it’s not only the water in the stages, but some rocks.”

#6 Daniel SORDO / Cándido CARRERA
“Honestly, the conditions are difficult, there is a lot of mud. Some stages are in better condition, but in general, all are difficult.”

#7 Pierre-Louis LOUBET / Nicolas GILSOUL
“Not typical conditions for Greece. Very difficult conditions, close to undrivable, I think. Let’s see how the weather will be in the next few days.”

#9 Jourdan SERDERIDIS / Frederic MICLOTTE
“We recce under wet conditions, but on Sunday I think will be dry. I am still optimistic about the weather. It’s drying really fast in Greece.

#20 Andreas MIKKELSEN / Torstein ERIKSEN
“It’s difficult, but I think it will get better for the weekend.”

#21 Yohan ROSSEL / Arnaud DUNAND
“Completely crazy. Normally Acropolis is completely dry. But it’s ok, it’s the same for all of us.”

#22 Sami PAJARI / Enni MÄLKÖNEN
“It’s something that we didn’t expect in Greece. It will be a challenge. I will do the best I can.”

#23 Oliver SOLBERG / Elliott EDMONDSON
“It’s interesting! Definitely, it’s an extra challenge for us! Different from what we expect. Much more slippery than Safari! Also, here you don’t have enough space on the road if you make an error. It’s narrower.”

#24 Fergus GREENSMITH / Jonas ANDERSSON
“The conditions are worse than in Rally GB. Only a few stages are ok. I hope the rain stops soon and everything will be ok.”

#27 Adrien FOURMAUX / Alexandre CORIA
“The road are really muddy. We will see how it will be during the rally.”

#28 Marco BULACIA / Diego VALLEJO
“It will be an interesting rally. We must predict how the road conditions will be. The weather will make it difficult to know the road for the rally.”

#29 Martin PROKOP / Michal ERNST
“It is really tricky all the time with the conditions. It’s more like Rally GB, but the mud is more slippery. "I hope the weather improves.”

#32 Grégoire MUNSTER / Louis LOUKA
“Tricky conditions. We are unsure about what to expect because it may be dry. We’ll see.”

#35 Robert VIRVES / Craig DREW
“It’s slippery and muddy, but drivable. But if the conditions change it will change a lot”.

#36 Alexandros TSOULOFTAS / Stelios ELIA
“Unfortunately, the conditions are unpleasant. SS Eleftherohori is at bad state. The Corinthian stages were fine, but it's currently raining there. So we don’t know what to expect. For sure the tyre choice will be very crucial. It will be really tough.”

#37 Lambros ATHANASOULAS / Nikolaos ZAKCHAIOS
“Grammeni is ok, but you must be careful in some sections. Elefherohori is in a very bad condition. There is a lot of mud. Tarzan has a lot of mud, but it’s drivable. Conditions in Corinthian stages will differ from Monday's.”

#45 Georgios KECHAGIAS / Christos KOUZIONIS
“The stages are full of mud and very slippery. You must be very cautious.”

#46 Panagiotis ROUSTEMIS / Nikolaos PETROPOULOS
“We will see how the conditions will be. I don’t think that the surfaces will dry. There is a lot of mud in several parts. For sure the tyre choice will be crucial.”

#47 Vasileios VELANIS / Ioannis VELANIS
“As a driver, I have never encountered such harsh conditions before. We are hoping for a drastic change in the weather.”

#48 Chrysostomos KARELLIS / Ilias PANAGIOTOUNIS
“There is a lot of mud, but it is uncertain how the conditions will be during the rally. It will undoubtedly be very difficult.”

#49 Marios XANTHAKOS / Nikolaos KARATHANASIS
“The conditions are difficult, there’s a lot of mud. We lack experience with such conditions.”

#51 Georgios VASILAKIS / Theodoros CHATZITHEODORIDIS
“For me, these conditions are an experience! I am not a professional driver, and it is definitely not easy for me. But it's a huge experience, I'm very happy.”