The Acropolis Rally started out as a marathon/endurance type event back in the early 1950s. When the rally became part of the
World Rally Championship after 1973, the crews had to face up to 800 competitive kilometers, in some of the most gruelling stages and conditions imaginable. This trip involved locations all over Greece up to the late 1980s, such as the more known
Kalambaka and
Meteora, stages near
Mount Olympus,
Attica,
Central Greece, and even down south in the
Peloponnese. The traditional start always took place under the legendary
Acropolis in Athens, and the finish ceremony was carried out in the
Panathenaic stadium. With rallies ever so shrinking due to the new demands of the
World Rally Championship and transitioning to "sprint" type events, the Acropolis Rally followed suit, basing the whole rally in certain areas and using stages nearby. The classic rally headquarters in the 1990s and early 2000s were the cities of
Lamia and
Itea. In 2005, the rally headquarters and the service park moved to the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex. In the
2007 edition, the rally headquarters and the service park moved to the
Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre. In
2008, the headquarters where situated at the
Tatoi military airport, and that was the last time since that the rally was based in
Attica, and that special stages were used in that area. In 2009 the rally headquarters and the service park were moved to
Loutraki near the
Corinth Canal, with stages in
Argolis and
Corinthia used for the rally. For the
2016 ERC Season, the event returned to Lamia. The 2026 edition will be held again in Loutraki.
Classic stages The best stages in Greece are undoubtedly in the
Phthiotis and
Phokis regions, mainly around the
Parnassus and
Giona mountains. Recently used stages like Bauxites/Karoutes, Drosohori,
Pavliani,
Kaloskopi, Elatia,
Rengini,
Eleftherohori and
Moschokarya are favorites amongst drivers and fans alike, due to their fast and flowing nature, allowing the cars to reach their full potential, in a rally where it is otherwise risky to push hard, due to the hard surface which can damage the cars heavily. The same goes for other famous rally stages in Greece, like the
Kineta and Aghi Theodori stages around the
Geraneia mountains in
Corinthia,
Prodromos,
Livadeia and
Thiva in
Boeotia,
Parnonas in mainland
Peloponnese. Other honorable mentions include the fast and beautiful
Parnitha stage, the car breaker
Ymitos, plus the Assopia and Aghia Sotira stages in
Attica, as well as the spectacular
Meteora stage which was last used in the late 1980s in the longer version of the rally. Several stages feature significant archeological landmarks like the "Klenia-Mycenae" stage which includes the archeological site of
Mycenae. Many classic special stages (f.e. Grammeni Oxia, Gardiki, Hani Zagana, Evangelistria, Prodromos, Aliki, Loukissia) were asphalt paved at some point in the past, so they are no longer used in the Acropolis Rally, since it is a mainly gravel-based event.
The "Tarzan" test in Evrytania This special stage, originally called the Fourna and Rentina test, is an unusually difficult 30.3 km test. The name "Tarzan" originates from Giorgos Burgos, who was from
Fourna in
Evritania, lived in Athens and was a police officer. He suffered from
tuberculosis and was given a few months to live. He then moved to
Fourna, and reached the age of 92. The Acropolis rally passed through the hut of Giorgos, whose nickname was "Tarzan", from the 22nd edition of the rally in
1975. At that time the special route was called "Fourna". The stage first appeared under the new name "Tarzan" in the 26th Acropolis Rally in
1979, in honor of Giorgos Bourgos, a local resident and rally fan. The presence of the full stage in the rally was continuous until the 42nd running of the event in
1995. For its last four years the route was renamed "Rentina-Tarzan", after using the second half of the classic 30,3 km (finishing in
Tsoukka). In the Acropolis Rally of
2003, when the event reached its 50th anniversary, a shortened 20.65 km version of the stage, called "New Tarzan", was held twice, paying tribute to the route's legacy in the event.
Didier Auriol in June
1991, dismantled a wheelrim and his suspension there, losing the lead and the overall victory in the race. Nevertheless, he later stated that "Tarzan" was his favorite Acropolis Rally special stage. The Tarzan stage returns in the 2021 Acropolis Rally, as the Power Stage of the event, together with many other classic tests.
Super Special Stages The Rally is also known for having used great Super Special Stages over the years. This trend started with the Marlboro Super Stage held in the city of
Anavissos, south of Athens, in the early 1990s. After the event base moved to
Itea and
Lamia in the early 2000s, a Super Special Stage was used in the outskirts of
Lilea Parnassos. In
2005 a new stage was introduced; a superspecial stage held within the
Athens Olympic Stadium. The
Super Special Stage (SSS) was the highlight of the rally as well as the
2005 WRC schedule and in the same year, the Acropolis Rally was awarded the “Rally of the Year” title. It was loved by drivers and fans alike, as the packed stadium provided an "arena" feeling to the stage. In
2006 there were 2 superspecials, again in the same stadium. The rally headquarters and the service park also moved from
Lamia to the
Athens Olympic Sports Complex. In the
2007 event, the superspecial (along with the rally headquarters and the service park) moved to the
Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre. In
2008 the super special stage was held twice at the
Tatoi military airport. In
2018, a superspecial was based again in the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre. In the
2022 event, the rally made a return to the
Athens Olympic Stadium for the rally-opening super special stage. ==Winners==