Regularity News Historic Acropolis Rally 2026 – Regularity – Leg 2: Kyranas-Efstathiou Remain in the Lead
The situation at the top of the Regularity category of the Historic Acropolis Rally remained unchanged, with Ioannis Kyranas-Nikolaos Efstathiou maintaining their lead after the completion of the second leg of the event. Weather conditions did not trouble the competitors, as rain made only a brief appearance during the day. On the morning of Saturday, May 23, the historic cars started from Neochori, next to the shores of Lake Plastira. The route through the Argithea mountain pass offered spectacular scenery and demanding navigation conditions before the crews regrouped at the historic Liméri, later returning to Neochori for the overnight halt. Participants were particularly impressed by the passage through the famous five tunnels of the auxiliary road constructed as part of the Acheloos River diversion project, a section combining a unique driving experience with rare natural beauty. At the same time, the continuous and demanding precision tests, especially during the second half of the day, kept the crews fully engaged until the finish.
The leg included a total of 12 Precision Tests, confirming the demanding nature of the rally. The intense competition was also reflected in the fact that 10 different crews recorded the fastest time in individual stages. With the right strategy, consistent pace, and by avoiding major mistakes, Ioannis Kyranas-Nikolaos Efstathiou retained the overall lead and are optimistic they will remain on top after the third leg of the rally as well, driving a 1990 Volkswagen Golf II. Climbing to second place were Akis Abastado-Arion Abastado, a crew that drove smartly on Saturday with their 1992 Toyota Celica STi, as despite not winning any individual stage, they climbed five positions in the overall standings. Chasing the Celica crew are expected to be Ilias Lalousis-Konstantinos Kotsiris with the 1999 Peugeot 306 GTI 6 – Race, currently third overall after the second leg. One position behind are Christos Diamantopoulos-Manolis Dimakareas, who started the leg ideally by winning the first test of the day. However, they later encountered a steering rack issue with their green 1984 Volkswagen Golf I, a problem they hope to repair in order to collect valuable championship points.
Climbing four places on the second day were Gerasimos Katochianos-Georgios Katochianos with the 1975 Ford Escort MKI, a crew aiming for a podium finish. The 2025 Greek Regularity champions, Kyriakos Farmakis-Maria Athanasopoulou, after the timing instrument issue they faced on the first day, appeared to regain their rhythm on Saturday by winning two special tests. Driving a Volvo 122S, they currently hold sixth place overall. Finishing the second leg in seventh place were Alexandros Drouliskos-Mathios Mansolas, who dropped positions in the standings while driving a 1991 Volkswagen Golf GTi. Winning one special stage were the eighth-placed overall crew, Savvas Tzilavis-Dimitris Liakos, with the driver returning to Regularity competition in a 1977 Ford Escort RS2000 MKII. Also victorious in one precision test were Manos Palavidis-Maria Palavidis, who are ninth overall with their 1986 Renault 5 GT Turbo. Completing the top ten are Iosif Lagakis-Nikitas Tsalikis, who dropped several places in the standings with their 1992 Subaru Legacy.
The Bulgarian crew Vladimir and Lachezar Dimitrov won one of the day’s tests with their 1987 Peugeot 205 Rally, a crew that frequently competes on Greek soil. On the other hand, last year’s winners, Christian Crucifix-Agnieszka Bohosiewicz, although they won two tests with their 1985 Peugeot 205, remain low in the standings due to mistakes that have eliminated their hopes for another distinction in the rally.
It is worth mentioning that several crews faced mechanical issues, forcing them to retire permanently from the event. Among them were the 2024 winners, Konstantinos Piperos-Vasos Theodosiou with a 1974 Lancia Beta Coupe, due to a broken suspension arm. A distributor failure in the 1978 Volkswagen Golf forced Aris Georgosopoulos-Nikos Kontopos to lose several positions in the standings, while Giorgos Georgakopoulos-Anastasios Douros with a 1968 Morris Mini also encountered a timing instrument issue.
The third and final leg of the Historic Acropolis Rally Regularity consists of 6 Special Tests. The route passes through Evrytania and concludes at Bralos. The finish ceremony will take place in front of the Archaeological Museum of Thebes at 17:00.
In closing, the Organizing Committee of the Historic Acropolis Rally Regularity would like to thank the Traffic Police Directorate of Arta for its valuable assistance.
Valuable support to the organizers is provided by the Region of Attica, the Region of Central Greece, the Region of Thessaly, the Municipality of Lamia, the Municipality of Athens, and the Municipality of Karditsa.
The communication sponsor is Cosmote TV, which in recent years has been present at all motorsport events in Greece.
On the official website of the rally (www.historicacropolis.gr) you can stay informed about all the latest news regarding the Historic Acropolis Rally.
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