Storms have started to affect how EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be run, and they could possibly lead to the cancellation of the event.
What’s Going On?
Heavy rain and storms have caused the gravel roads in the regions of Greece that EKO Acropolis Rally Greece uses to turn into mud and puddles. Cars have been getting stuck in said mud during recce. With recce at some points being canceled due to the conditions. Stages 14/15 have been cut short already by 10.77km to just 9km. Stage 15 is the Powerstage so this shortening isn’t just a minor thing. Recce for stage 7/10 will continue on Thursday before Shakedown. Shakedown will see drivers in the Rally1 class run a minimum of once on the stage, as opposed to the normal 3. This isn’t the first nature event to affect EKO Acropolis Rally Greece this season. As teams had their pre-event testing cut short or postponed due to forest fires in the region. From one extreme to the other, the WRC just can’t catch a break in Greece.
Could The Event Be Canceled?
Yes, anything is possible at this point in time. As if the cars are unable to contest the stages the stewards will have no choice but to cancel the tenth round of the championship. That is however a more extreme case. As a WRC round is barely canceled. The only times an event is really canceled is when they can’t do the rally due to fires or other extreme weather conditions. An example of this would be 2019 at Rally Australia. Which is also the last WRC event to be canceled not due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chances are drivers will have to contest the stages of the rally in the conditions that they are in.
What If It Was Canceled?
The cancellation of EKO Acropolis Rally Greece will be a major one for the WRC. As it’ll move the championship down from 4 remaining rounds to just 3. With a tight battle between Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans expected to play out throughout the remainder of the season, a canceled event would Harper this battle. As just 25 points separate Rovanperä and Evans, with a potential 120 points available for each driver. If EKO Acropolis Rally Greece is canceled, the potential points drops to 90. It does guarantee the championship can’t be won until the Central European Rally, however. As previously mentioned this would be the first event canceled due to extreme conditions since 2019. The WRC and organizers of the event will do their best to try and make sure the event is run. Even if it is in a condensed format.
Is There Another Option
Realistically speaking no, it’s either run the event or have it canceled and the championship be a 12-round series. There is one potential that would allow EKO Acropolis Rally Greece to run if it weren’t this weekend, however. As the championship could postpone the event if the organizers were to secure permits to run the event at a later date. There is an issue, however. Permits aren’t easy to get especially to close down the roads needed to run a WRC event. The WRC likely doesn’t have the time to wait for new permits to be approved, especially with Rally Chile Bio Bio being a couple of weeks away. They have limited time to get the rally run and the cars ready to ship over to South America.
Updates
Shakedown has been canceled due to weather.