Lancer Evo drivers ready to face the toughest challenge

Juho Hanninen (Finland) will start among the favourites for FIA Production Car World Rally Championship (PWRC) victory on next week’s third round of the series, the Acropolis Rally of Greece. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution driver has the perfect record in this year’s series so far, having won the category in Argentina, his first and only PWRC outing of 2008.

Hanninen is going to face an incredible challenge in his efforts to add another 10 points to his tally, with a strong field of Lancer Evolution drivers ranged against him and co-driver Mikko Markkula. More than half of the PWRC entries in Greece come from drivers of Mitsubishis, with an exceptional 24 of the total entry of 62 cars being Lancer Evolutions.

All of these drivers will aim to maintain the Mitsubishi’s unblemished 2008 record of pace and reliability through this season; on the six rounds of the World Rally Championship run this year, the Lancer Evolution remains undefeated in the Group N category. It’s those two key attributes which have led to the current Production leaderboard being packed out with Mitsubishis: eight of the top cars in the standings are Lancer Evolutions.

Andreas Aigner (Austria) won the second round of the PWRC in Argentina, but his failure to score on the PWRC’s season-opener in Sweden cost him the chance of leading the standings outright. Aigner is well versed in the precise requirements of this event, having taken second place here last season.

Martin Prokop (Czech Republic) is fast coming to terms with the requirements of the driving in the PWRC as well as the Junior World Rally Championship. He arrives in Greece on the back of missing out on a potential JWRC win in Italy after a fuel-related problem. Prokop said: "I have finished the first two Production rounds this season and that’s got to be the aim in Greece. The Acropolis is a very tough rally and as I found out in Sardinia, nothing is certain until you have made it past the finish of the final stage."

Fumio Nutahara (Japan) - another of the Production favourites in his Lancer Evolution echoes those sentiments. Despite having enjoyed a long and successful career in the PWRC, Nutahara has yet to tackle the Acropolis Rally. His ability, however, to manage his Mitsubishi over some of the rockiest roads in the world has been well documented by his win on the 2006 Cyprus Rally. Nutahara will be looking for a maiden win when he arrives in Athens.

One of the highlights of the World Rally Championship year returns to next week’s Acropolis Rally with the ceremonial start (Thursday May 29 at 19h30) taking place next to the Parthenon, one of the oldest buildings in Greece, which dates back to the fifth Century. In years gone by, pictures of rally cars alongside the Parthenon have made this classic Greek relic instantly recognizable to rally fans across the globe. It also brings a symbolism of what the Acropolis Rally is all about: one of the roughest and most demanding events on the calendar.

And this year is no exception. The event’s base has shifted 20km north, leaving the Olympic facilities which it has used for the last two seasons behind, and heading for the airport at Tatoi north of Athens. The morning after the Acropolis-based ceremonial start, to 11km Schimatari test will act as the perfect loosener for one of the classic Acropolis stages: Thiva. 110.08km of Day one includes six long stages and a new purpose-built superspecial at Tatoi of 4.6km. Saturday’s route includes another of the most entertaining and challenging Greek roads: Aghii Theodori, on a schedule which makes up the longest day of the event 119.12km. Those resolute and battle-hardened crews who make it through Friday and Saturday will then be faced with an unusually gruelling Sunday, with a further seven stages and 110.74km. The good news for the drivers and thousands of rally fans alike is that the 20th and last test of the event is a second run around the Tatoi superspecial. The total distance of the rally will be 1,311.32km including 339.94.km special stage run.