Historic Acropolis

Alexandros Edipiidis and Helen Malaktari check in at a time control

The 2008 Acropolis Historic Rally, a round of the FIA Championship with the highest possible coefficient, consisted of 1000 kilometres and 22 stages, 16 of which are on asphalt (150kms), with the rest on gravel (70kms) for the Sporting category cars. The Regularity cars, also running in their FIA Championship, ran a 1400km route and no fewer than 45 stages that did not include the night stages of the sporting class.

Marco Bianchini and Emanuele Baldacinni service their car during the night stage All Photos Courtesy ELPA

The highest number of entries ever was welcomed in Athens on 9 May, under the shadow of the Acropolis, with 50 cars in the sporting category and 133 in the regularity, for the ceremonial start.

Among them were last year’s Sporting winners and FIA Champions Marco Bianchini and Emanuele Baldaccini in their black Lancia Stratos HF, as well as class one and two champions in 2007, Andrea Polli/Vilma Salvi and Antonio Parisi/Giuseppe D’ Angelo respectively. Also on the start line were European Regularity Trophy winners, Iason Fotopoulos and Aristotelis Georgiou, in their Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce.

From the beginning the Bianchini Lancia took the lead, both on night and day stages, and on asphalt and gravel. However with main rivals experiencing breakdowns, off road excursions and just plain bad luck, the race for second and third places became exciting and eventful.

Read the full story in our July issue.