Seventy-two crews representing 31 countries will be participating in the anniversary edition of the EKO Acropolis Rally, marking its 70th year on the international sporting scene. The event will kick off on Thursday afternoon, September 7th, under the Acropolis of Athens.

The entry list for the 2023 EKO Acropolis Rally boasts the highest number of crews in the last 17 years.

In addition to its high number of participants, the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship stands out for the impressive quality of entrants in each category, including all of the top contenders who will be competing in Greece.

10 Rally1 hybrids, 30 WRC2, and 20 national entries will be supported by the FIA Junior WRC.

Toyota Gazoo Racing will line up with four GR Yaris Rally1 cars. Along with the usual contenders, Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, and Takamoto Katsuta, Greek spectators will also have the opportunity to witness the eight-time world champion, Sébastien Ogier.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team will compete with three Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrids, driven by Thierry Neuville, Esapekka Lappi and the highly experienced Dani Sordo who returns to their line-up for the first time since Safari Rally Kenya in June.

Following disappointing results in Estonia and Finland, M-Sport Ford aims to change its recent fortunes in Greece. Leading their effort will be 2019 world champion Ott Tänak, who is joined by Pierre-Louis Loubet and Greek driver Jourdan Serderidis who lines up for his fourth start this season.

30 WRC2 entries will be present at EKO Acropolis Rally – among them the protagonists of Greek rallies. The list is highlighted by championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen in a Škoda Fabia RS and Yohan Rossel in a Citroën C3 Rally2, who currently sits second overall in the standings. Their main competition is expected to come from WRC2 Secto Rally Finland winner Sami Pajari in an identical Škoda to Mikkelsen, along with a further trio of Škoda Fabia RS drivers in Oliver Solberg, Gus Greensmith and Nikolay Gryazin, while Finland runner-up Adrien Fourmaux will compete in his Ford Fiesta Mk II.

The reigning Greek Champion Alexandros Tsouloftas (Volkswagen Polo GTi Rally2) will try to repeat last year’s success (9th overall and third in WRC2 Open), while Lambros Athanasoulas will be behind the wheel of a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, once more with the support of Hyundai Hellas.

Eight teams will line up for the final round of the Junior WRC Championship. While Ireland’s William Creighton currently leads the standings, double points on offer for the final round mean the title is anything but secure.