Hyundai Heads To Brutal Acropolis Gravel Gauntlet Challenge
2025 acropolis rally 03
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team rolls into the Acropolis Rally (June 25–28) with an upbeat swagger, because if you like your motorsport served with dust and danger this is the place. The WRC now flips into a gravel-only second half and the team is hoping the i20 N Rally1 remembers how to behave on rough stuff.
The event is based in Loutraki this year and offers 17 stages covering 323.31km of competitive distance. Translation: heat, rocks, surface surprises and a merciless inspection of every bit of kit you brought along.
The Gauntlet
Acropolis has a reputation for eating tyres and spitting out broken dreams. Organisers have shuffled the route, so roughly half the stage mileage is new for 2026. That means more notes to write during recce and less room for blind optimism when the gravel kicks you sideways.
Friday hits hard with about 130km of stages and only a remote service in the middle of the day. There is barely time to breathe, let alone fiddle with tyre pressures, and one puncture can turn a podium chase into a recovery mission. Running order is crucial too; starting earlier means sweeping the road, while a later slot can bring cleaner lines but higher tyre wear and more loose stones.
Strategy And Risks
The team has been quietly tweaking and testing since the tarmac portion of the year, trying to find the sweet spot between flat-out and simply surviving. Experience counts here – pace must be married to patience. Tyre management and a careful recce will be the difference between glory and a trip back to the truck with a sad face.
New routes mean less historical data and more on-the-fly decision making. Teams that adapt quickest tend to profit. Expect a few crews to gamble early and pay for it later.
Targets
Hyundai want the podium. The team has enjoyed strong Acropolis form in recent years and arrives in Greece after claiming a gravel win earlier this season. The brief is simple: score big, avoid disasters and build momentum for the remaining gravel rounds.
If the gods of gravel are feeling generous, and if the car, crew and strategy all align, this could be the weekend the team turns raw grit into shiny hardware. If not, well, at least the dust will look spectacular on the highlights reel.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
