MINI stars tackle Acropolis recce

MINI WRC Team stars Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo have completed the opening day of reconnaissance for the Acropolis Rally even though neither driver will be competing on the event proper.

Instead, Meeke and Sordo were using the opportunity to update their pace notes of world championship rallies that they plan to tackle in the future. The Acropolis Rally was not included in MINI’s original six-event schedule for 2011 but will form part of the Prodrive-run squad’s all-out attack on the series next season.

Following the first day of recce today, Tuesday, Spaniard Sordo, said: “The special stages are good. Some of them are in the opposite direction [from before] but they are nice. They are good to drive, not only for recce.”

Team-mate Kris Meeke added: “The stages are really, really nice. It is sad that we are not driving in this rally and after the recce we will have to go home.”

Drivers completed two passes of the five different stages that will be used on Friday during today’s recce to prepare their pace notes for the event. They also covered the 17.71-kilometre Nea Politia stage, which will under the cover of darkness on Saturday night. They will pass through the event’s remaining stages from 07:00hrs local time tomorrow (Wednesday).

A number of drivers singled out stage three, the 18.10-kilometre Eleftherohori test, as being particularly rough.

“Stage three was really rough, like in a proper Acropolis [Rally],” said factory Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen, who won in Greece in 2009.

M-Sport Stobart’s Mads Ostberg said: “The special stages are quite rough and difficult, especially stage three. It seems there was a lot of rain during the previous days. The surface isn’t so good.”

Citroen pilot Sebastien Ogier, second in Greece two years ago, said: “Stage six has a lot of loose gravel and is going to be very slippery. Without that it is nice. There will be a lot of cleaning in that special stage.”

Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala reckoned the 39.10-kilometre Elatia stage on Friday morning would provide a tough test. “It is very difficult and demanding,” he said.