The Norwegian star - twice a national champion - is set to pilot a Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo for the German-based squad after Bulacia’s withdrawal from the 10th round of the championship. He will support fellow countryman Andreas Mikkelsen in the team.
Bulacia suffered a heavy crash at Rally Van Staden earlier this month, which was a test event for Ypres Rally Belgium.
While the Bolivian youngster did manage to complete the asphalt fixture, he felt uncomfortable in the car and has opted to give Greece’s rougher terrain a miss as he recovers fully.
This won’t be Brynildsen’s first time stepping into the team at the final hour. He filled a similar role last year at Arctic Rally Finland, finishing fourth in the premier support category when visa issues prevented Bulacia from travelling.
“First of all I wish Marco all the best in his recovery,” said Brynildsen. “I am very humbled and proud to have been given this chance again.
“I have to give a big thanks to Škoda and to Toksport for believing in me. They asked if I could come and of course I said yes - rallying is the best thing you can do with clothes on! I am quite sure they have made a good choice and I will do my best to make them proud.
“I’ve done the Acropolis three or four times. It’s a rough, long rally and I think Friday will be especially tough with no service through the day, so it will be about finding the balance between being consistent, fast and avoiding trouble,” he added.
Brynildsen admitted that, although he’d love to be able to compete more often in the WRC, financial obstacles have prevented him from being able to put together a regular programme.
That being said, the 34-year-old has more than proved his ability to fight at the sharp end with several support category podiums over the years.
“I am always saying, ‘this will be my last rally’, because it’s so tough to find the budget to compete at this level and you have to practice almost every week.
“It would be really, really good [to regularly compete] with the experience that I have now,” he continued, “but I also have to be realistic and understand that it’s very difficult to compete at this level. I am just really happy to be back and I am sure we can do a good job for the team.”
The WRC2 entry for next week’s counter is one of the strongest seen in the history of the category with a whopping 35 cars included.
• Full coverage from EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be available on WRC+ All Live here, including every stage broadcast as it happens as well as key interviews, features and expert analysis from the service park.
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