Tortoise or Hare? The question facing JWRC hopefuls in Greece

The FIA Junior WRC is all about offering the next generation the toughest test. EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, taking place from 5 - 8 September, provides the perfect final exam.

Four rounds have delivered four different winners and 10 drivers have a shot at lifting the coveted title in Lamia next week. When Australia’s rising star Taylor Gill won Secto Rally Finland earlier this month, he talked of a moment he would never forget. And rightly so, when it comes to Jyväskylä and its flat-out approach to the forests, team principals are always predisposed to keep an eye on that result.

But being able to combine fast flight with the ability to ride the rocks is what makes the champions of the future. But what’s the approach? The heart says hare. The head? Very much siding with the tortoise.

Trouble is, how slow is too slow? That’s the question every one of the Junior WRC runners will be asking themselves as they prepare for the classically challenging Greek roads. The pre-event chat is key, but what can be even more important is to stay calm on Friday lunchtime, when the hare has taken off up the road, bounced off some boulders and got away with it and is now sitting on a half-minute lead. Almost as much as sitting on the start line of Ouninpohja, that moment brings a true test of character.

Last year's Greek finale delivered one of the most tense Junior WRC counters in recent memory. After retiring on the opening day due to a technical fault, William Creighton went on to clinch the crown after his main rival Laurent Pellier was sidelined by broken transmission.

Creighton netted a life-changing prize - an arrive and drive package to contest four European rounds of this year's WRC in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 car - a rewards that's also up for grabs for this year's champion.

The world will be watching as a fascinating Junior campaign comes to a climax.