FIA Rally Star - EKO Acropolis Rally Greece event preview (round 5/5)
Romet Jürgenson heads the FIA Junior WRC title chase after four rounds
Taylor Gill starts the Acropolis Rally eight points behind in second place
Max Smart aims to build on his Sardinia podium on the rough gravel stages
Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó targets remaining error-free on Junior WRC season finale
The 68th running of the Acropolis Rally brings the curtain down on the 2024 FIA Junior WRC Championship with two of the four FIA Rally Star drivers firmly in contention for the coveted title and a WRC2 prize drive in 2025.
Despite 2024 marking their first season of world championship competition, Romet Jürgenson and Taylor Gill have excelled in their Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta Rally3s with their co-drivers Siim Oja and Daniel Brkic and start the Junior WRC finale in Greece first and second in the provisional standings.
While the double-points format makes the title race wide open, the enormity of Jürgenson and Gill’s achievements cannot be underestimated with both drivers joining the FIA Rally Star process though grassroot assessment events organised by their respective ASNs, Estonian Autosport Union and Motorsport Australia.
Having progressed to Junior WRC for 2024 after successfully completing the FIA Rally Star Training Season in 2023, Jürgenson and Gill start EKO Acropolis Rally on Thursday ready to put into practice all the knowledge, advice and guidance handed to them by experts from rallying, sports fitness and psychology and beyond. Even if these two relative rookie drivers ultimately fall short in their respective Junior WRC title quests, they are set for bright futures in the sport and second Junior WRC campaigns in 2025 as part of the FIA Rally Star initiative.
FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid, FIA Vice President for Sport Europe Anna Nordkvist, WRC Commission Chair Pernilla Solberg and FIA Road Sport Director Andrew Wheatley will all be in attendance during EKO Acropolis Rally to watch the FIA Rally Star drivers contest the Junior WRC season finale having supported the project from its early days.
EKO Acropolis Rally 2024 - What’s in store for the FIA Rally Star drivers
In a change to the traditional format of a start and opening superspecial stage in Athens, this year’s Acropolis Rally begins in Lamia, the location of the service park and ceremonial finish, with the itinerary taking crews south from Lamia towards the Greek capital during leg two instead. One key benefit of the move is fans assembled at the end-of-Saturday superspecial will get to watch the conclusion of leg two. The superspecial location, which uses one of Greece’s major motorways and offers free admission, was selected to provide easy access for as many fans as possible, including those living in Athens as well as the Central Greece and Peloponnese regions.
Following shakedown and the Ceremonial Start on Thursday, Friday’s first leg consists of three stages run either side of service in Lamia. Covering 135.02 timed kilometres, it’s the longest leg of the event.
Saturday’s second leg gets under way with the 28.67 kilometres of Rengini, the longest of the rally, which marks the start of the journey south to Loutraki, the location of the Tyre Fitting Zone following modified versions of Thiva and Aghii Theodori. The three morning stages are rerun in the afternoon prior to the EKO SSS from 21:05 local time.
The previously unused Inohori test launches Sunday’s deciding leg with two visits to the Eleftherohori stage either side of service in Lamia also included on the route.
FIA Rally Star latest news and views
The four FIA Rally Star drivers completed a one-day test in Greece on Sunday in preparation for their first Acropolis Rally starts.
Romet Jürgenson, who was second in Sweden and first in Croatia, tops the provisional FIA Junior WRC standings with 69 points.
After banking his breakthrough Junior WRC victory in Finland last month, Taylor Gill is second in the table, eight points behind team-mate Jürgenson.
Following Rally Finland, Jürgenson contested Humus Paide Ralli in his native Estonia, finishing third in class behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Rally3.
Max Smart, who visited the Acropolis Rally on a fact-finding mission in 2022, completed the podium on Rally Italia Sardegna, the other rough gravel event on the Junior WRC roster.
Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó has kept busy at home training and preparing for his Acropolis Rally debut.
FIA Rally Star pre-Acropolis Rally quotes
FIA Rally Star Project Leader Jérôme Roussel said: “It’s incredible to think we’re at the final event of the FIA Junior WRC Championship season with two of our drivers, Romet and Taylor, first and second in the provisional standings, having come through from grassroots motor sport. Of course, that won’t count for much if we don’t maximise our possibilities this weekend. But whatever happens we will be very proud of all that has been achieved this season. That’s not just down to the talent and determination of these two young drivers, but also to the hard work and meticulous preparation carried out by the entire FIA Rally Star team, plus the support of all our partners and the ASNs who have made this adventure possible.
"The Acropolis Rally is, of course, a tough challenge and finding the balance between car preservation and performance won’t be easy. But we know what Romet and Taylor are capable of, and we’ll be giving them our full support this weekend. For Max and Abito, the Acropolis Rally is another great opportunity to build their experience and we look forward to seeing their progression and how they take the new lessons on board throughout the event. As they say in rallying, anything can happen, but our drivers have prepared well, and we know they will do all they can to achieve the best results they can.”
Romet Jürgenson said: “It’s clear the aim is to win the title in Junior WRC but it’s going to be one of the toughest challenges this year, if not the toughest challenge. The championship table is really open because of the double points for the last rally so the end result is really important and you have to think even more about the long run. We also have to think about the unique terrain and challenges the Acropolis Rally has that we haven’t experienced before. You have to think where you can push because of the stage-win points, but then you have to be smart in other places so it’s a difficult compromise. But we’re going to give 100 per cent from our side, even more, to win the title and make the whole FIA Rally Star programme proud.”
Taylor Gill said: “The Acropolis Rally is going to be super-tough, super-rough and super-difficult so it will more about survival than outright speed on the stages. Being in championship fight means we definitely have to keep one eye on that but, ultimately, our goal is just to try to get through and have a clean event. If we can do the best job we can, be smart and consistent to be there at the finish, like we’ve done all year, then everything will sort itself out. We’ll go in with our never-give-up attitude and try to keep our noses clean.”
Max Smart: “It’s a proper rough gravel rally, similar to Sardinia in some ways, which was a rally I really enjoyed. I really feel the rough gravel events suit my current skillset. We’ve learned so much in the rallies this year and last year and this rally is the place where we can put everything together. It’s been an amazing year so far and I’ve done a lot better than I thought I would at the start of the season. I’m still new to this game but I’ve learned so much.
"Greece is a really special place for me. It’s the first WRC event I got to go and watch in 2022 and I remember all these new and exciting feelings I had. I couldn’t believe how big it was, the sounds of the cars, all these senses I’d never experienced before. I was spectating with my father on the Tarzan stage, which we’ll use this year, and I remember having goosebumps after seeing my first Rally1 car go through. Going back to Greece we want to enjoy it, push and see what we can do.”
Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó said: “My aim is to try to replay all the good things in my mind that I have learned and try to avoid to the maximum any mistakes, especially during the first two days when I expect the rally to be really tough. I’m really aiming to do a clean event and take the maximum amount of experience I can for the future.”
EKO Acropolis Rally in numbers
Stage distance: 305.30 km
Total distance: 1392.24 km
Number of stages: 15
FIA Junior WRC Championship event schedule refresher
The 2024 FIA Junior WRC Championship consists of five rounds as follows:
Rally Sweden (Snow/ice), February 15-18
Croatia Rally (Tarmac), April 18-21
Rally Italia Sardegna (Gravel), May 30-June 2
Secto Rally Finland (Gravel), August 1-4
EKO Acropolis Rally Greece (Gravel), September 5-8
FIA Rally Star drivers (in Acropolis Rally start number order)
#58 Romet Jürgenson (24, Estonia) / Co-driver: Siim Oja (EST)
#59 Taylor Gill (20, Australia) / Co-driver: Daniel Brkic (AUS)
#66 Max Smart (21, South Africa) / Co-driver: Cameron Fair (GBR)
#68 Jose ‘Abito’ Caparó (27, Peru) / Co-driver: Esther Gutiérrez (ESP)
