11 May 12

Five
moments:
Acropolis
Rally

The Acropolis Rally is one of the oldest, toughest and roughest rallies in the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia. No wonder it has thrown up its fair share of classic moments over the years. Here are five of the most memorable.

1: Markko Martin’s first win, 2003

The Estonian was actually on course for his first win in Greece one year earlier, before two punctures decided otherwise. He got his revenge in 2003 with a consummate victory, which was also the first win for Ford’s cutting-edge Focus RS WRC03.

2: Colin McRae’s run of success, 2001

The rough roads may not appear to be suited to the hard-charging McRae’s spectacular style, but it was one of the Scot’s most successful events, where he claimed five wins. In 2001 he led from start to finish, taking his third consecutive victory to lead the world championship.

3: Phil Mills turns mechanic, 2002

In one of the most dramatic running repairs in rally history, Petter Solberg’s co-driver Mills had to reach for the tool kit and tighten their Subaru’s steering wheel while Solberg was still driving on the stage. The duo went on to finish third, despite this minor distraction.

4: Michele Mouton’s finest hour, 1982

With a stunning 13-minute victory, Mouton (who is now WRC manager) closed to within 20 points of championship leader Walter Rohrl - putting her right into contention for the title. She went on to finish second in the final standings that year.

5: Sebastien Loeb crashes out, 2009

Loeb (pictured) had the biggest accident of his career when he crashed out of third place on a sixth gear corner, after sliding wide and clipping a rock. His Citroen rolled six times, denting the Frenchman’s title charge as well as plenty of bodywork.

Photo: McKlein