The preparation of Manos and Kostas Stefanis for this year’s Acropolis Rally culminated on Sunday 1 September, with the second and final day of testing the Ford Fiesta Rally3.
The stage chosen in Kalamaki, Fthiotis, had a length of 3,3 km and the necessary flow, so that Manos and Kostas Stefanis could test different settings on their car.
In this way, they were getting constantly more familiar with their car and after completing a total of about 150 kilometers in two days of testing, they came up with the discovery of the desired setup for the event.
After the successful completion of the Pre-Event Test, the attention of the crew now turns to reconnaissance process of the special stages of Acropolis Rally, which will take place at September 2-4.
The official shakedown is scheduled for Thursday 5 September, whilst the Ceremonial Start will be held during the afternoon of the same day, at Lamia.
The purely sporting part of the Acropolis Rally is scheduled for September 6-8 and consists of 15 special stages of 305,30 km.
Kind reminder, that Manos and Kostas Stefanis will also be part of WRC3 and will carry No.55 at the doors of the Ford Fiesta Rally3 prepared and technically supported by M-Sport Poland.
With the motto “49 years rocks & dust”, Kostas Stefanis is preparing for his 30th participation in 49 years, which makes him one of the two competitors with the longest career in the history of WRC*, while this will be the 4th participation of Manos Stefanis in the legendary Greek rally.
Stay tuned, will as in the next few days a video from the Pre-Event Test of Manos and Kostas Stefanis will follow.
The participation of Manos and Kostas Stefanis is sponsored by Coral S.A. – Shell Licensee.
*Statistical data from www.ewrc-results.com/
The crew
Manos Stefanis
DoB: 30/5/1982
Rally Debut: 2001
Acropolis Rally Entries: 3
Kostas Stefanis
DoB: 5/6/1949
Rally debut: 1970
Acropolis Rally debut: 1975
WRC participations: 32
Acropolis Rally participations: 29
Acropolis Rally achievements: 9 times First Greek co-driver alongside “Iaveris” (1979), Andreas Papatriantafillou (1983), “Jigger” (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992), Aris Vovos (overall winners in 1995), Panagiotis Chatzitsopanis (2001)
Top10 Finishes: 6+1
1979: 5th position (“Iaveris”, Ford Escort RS 1800 MK II)
1988: 6th position (“Jigger”, Lancia Delta Integrale)
1989: 9th position (“Jigger”, Lancia Delta HF 4WD)
1990: 7th position (“Jigger”, Lancia Delta Integrale 16V)
1991: 10th position (“Jigger”, Lancia Delta Integrale 16V)
1992: 8th position (“Jigger”, Toyota Celica GT-4 ST-165)
1995: Winner (Aris Vovos, Lancia Delta HF Integrale)
The rally was part of FIA 2L WRC
Titles: 17 Co-drivers Championships in Greece (Overall, F2, Group N)
Quotes
Manos Stefanis: “It was a productive day, as we did a lot of kilometers and with the help of the M-Sport engineer and mechanics, we tested a lot of settings on the Ford Fiesta Rally3. The car remains easy to drive and fun up to a point, but if you want to increase your pace, it requires familiarity and understanding of its numerous capabilities. After two days of testing and almost 150 kilometers behind its wheel, I think we have reached a good level of understanding and we enter the rally week in a very good frame of mind to try to do our best.”
Kostas Stefanis: “Today’s tests proved that the Ford Fiesta Rally3 is an excellent car and that M-Sport Poland is a very experienced team. The special stage was ideal for testing different settings in terms of set-up. At the same time, we became even more familiar with the car, and after each pass, Manos was picking up the pace, but most importantly, he felt more and more confident behind the wheel, which was a key objective of this Pre-Event Test. A demanding Acropolis week begins, but a key reason we are here is that we love challenges and are fully prepared to face them.”
Photos: Rallypixels
