Date: 5/9/2024

Day: 1 Flash N°: 1

Special stage: Shakedown Distance: 3.62 km

Weather: Sunny, 35°C

Road conditions: Smooth, loose gravel

#11 Thierry NEUVILLE / Martijn WYDAEGHE

“It’s nice to wake up like this. I am very happy to continue one more year with Hyundai. It’s very good that Hyundai is committed to WRC for one more year. It’s the roughest Acropolis we have seen. We have to protect the car and cross the fingers for the punctures”.

#17 Sébastien OGIER / Vincent LANDAIS

“It was shocking to see the conditions in some places. It’s the roughest Acropolis I have seen. In the shakedown it was difficult to see where to go with all the hanging dust. The stages are like a blast from the past. It’s the toughest Rally of the calendar and will be rough for the cars and the tires”.

#8 Ott TÄNAK / Martin JÄRVEOJA

“Already the Shakedown was tricky, imagine tomorrow with the dust in the forest. The event is rough, it’s going to be a very demanding weekend. The high temperature makes the Rally even harder ”.

#33 Elfyn EVANS / Scott MARTIN

“A lot of dust in the Shakedown. It’s going to be a tough weekend. Not easy. I try to build my confidence in these conditions. It’s difficult inside the car in this kind of rallies. It's demanding for the cars and the tires”.

#16 Adrien FOURMAUX / Alexandre CORIA

“The plan is to always be on the podium. We will try to do our best. It's a big challenge for everybody. But this is Acropolis and we know it. The stages are tricky, rough and demanding. And that’s what we like in this Rally”.

#18 Takamoto KATSUTA / Aaron JOHNSTON

“I will try to survive. That’s the most important thing in this Rally. It’s going to be very tough for the car. I have to score points for the Manufacturers’ Championship, but it is also important to perform well. I try to use the benefit of the road position on Friday”.

#6 Daniel SORDO / Cándido CARRERA

“I almost stopped the car in one corner because of the dust. Otherwise, I am really happy with the car. It’s going to be a rough event and I'll try to be on the podium”.

#13 Grégoire MUNSTER / Louis LOUKA

“I watched a lot of onboards of the Rally to prepare myself. In this edition of the Acropolis Rally you have to survive. You have to be smart, especially on Saturday and Sunday. It’s rougher than Portugal and Sardegna”.

#19 Jourdan SERDERIDIS / Frédéric MICLOTTE

“In this stage there was so much dust, you couldn’t see. The Rally this year is very rough and demanding”.

#20 Sami PAJARI / Enni MÄLKÖNEN

“Acropolis is always a tough rally, a big challenge for the drivers and the cars. It’s a legendary rally and it’s nice to have it in the calendar. I’ll try to be at least on the podium and I’ll try to do my best to win the rally.”

#21 Yohan ROSSEL / Florian BARRAL

“Our goal is to finish on the podium and fight for the win. It's a very rough event, but it’s the same for everybody”.

#23 Nikolay GRYAZIN / Konstantin ALEKSANDROV

“It’s all about surviving! It's important for us not to destroy the tires. It’s very hot and there are big stones on the road. We have to be smart, avoid the punctures and protect the car”.

#27 Gus GREENSMITH / Jonas ANDERSSON

“I am excited about this Rally. We changed the setup of the car and we also tested in the Shakedown. It feels really nice now. Of course we want to win, but it’s going to be a very challenging weekend”.

#28 Robert VIRVES / Aleks LESK

“It’s a really demanding event, it’s rougher than usual. It looks like the organizers have tried to get back the ‘old roughness’ from 20 years ago. I’m more used to faster rallies, where you have to push all the time. But if you want to be a good driver, you must manage everything. I have nothing against a rally like this one”.

COMMENTS

Takamoto Katsuta set the fastest time on today’s Shakedown. Ott Tanak was second and Dani Sordo third. The crews are ready now for the Ceremonial Start of the Rally, which starts at 19:00 pm on the Service Park in Lamia.

For high-resolution photos, click here.