DOLGELLAU’S Elfyn Evans is looking forward to the “very different challenge” posed by the legendary Acropolis Rally in Greece after the high-speed nature of Estonia and Finland.

His Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is aiming to return to the top step of the podium on in Greece on 8-11 September, round 10 of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship.

Evans said: “I’m looking forward to the Acropolis Rally. After the high-speed nature of Estonia and Finland, Greece will offer a very different challenge for a gravel rally.

“Sardinia was the last rough gravel event we had in Europe and we had quite a good feeling with the car there and good speed, even though we didn’t get the result at the end of the weekend.

“There are still things we can improve, and hopefully we can pick up where we left off and keep making steps forward in Greece.

“Most likely it will be a hot and tough rally like the Acropolis is known for, but we saw last year with the rain that we can’t be completely certain about the weather.”

The Acropolis returned to the WRC calendar in 2021, having been an almost permanent fixture up until 2013 with a reputation for rocky mountain roads and high temperatures which combine to create a tough challenge for the cars, tyres and drivers.

TGR’s Kalle Rovanperä, who won the event at the first attempt last year, has a lead of 72 points with four rounds remaining and the possibility to write his name in history in Greece if he can finish the rally on the podium, depending on others’ results.

After finishing second last time out in Belgium, Elfyn Evans is third in the standings and one of those also still in contention for the drivers’ title.

Following two podiums in the last two rounds, Esapekka Lappi will contest the Acropolis for the first time since 2014, while Takamoto Katsuta will make his event debut with TGR WRT Next Generation.

This year’s rally begins with a Thursday night superspecial stage in the Athens Olympic Stadium, which previously hosted the WRC in 2005/06.

From there crews head directly west to Loutraki, ready for two passes of the stage of the same name on Friday morning, sandwiching a single pass of the adjacent Harvati.

The afternoon journey north to the service park in Lamia includes three more stages: a tyre-fitting zone separates the new Dafni and Livadia tests, which are followed by Bauxites.

Saturday consists of two loops of three stages west of Lamia and almost half of the rally’s competitive distance. Pyrgos is the longest stage of the weekend at 33.2 kilometres and precedes the returning Perivoli and famous Tarzan test. On Sunday, Elatia-Rengini separates two passes of Eleftherohori, the second forming the rally-ending Power Stage.