News & Articles Richard Jordan and Sam Collis, winners of Historic Acropolis Rally 2024!
Richard Jordan and Sam Collis emerged as the winners of the Historic Acropolis Rally, the final round of the European Historic Rally Championship. The 57 crews started the rally on Friday afternoon at the Acropolis and, after 11 demanding stages, concluded in Itea, where the awards ceremony took place.
Just like last year, a British crew with a rear-wheel-drive Ford Escort MKII came to Greece and claimed the top spot on the podium. The second leg was thrilling, with the British crew in their Ford Escort RS1800 MKII eventually pulling off a surprising victory. The first-leg leaders, Ghislain de Mevius and Johan Jalet, had widened their lead in the Sunday morning stages and seemed on track for an easy win. However, just before the ninth special stage, they were forced to retire due to an engine failure in their Mazda 323 GTX.
Following this development, Tibor Erdi Jr. and Istvan Kerek unexpectedly took the lead, with Jordan and Collis hot on their heels. With only two stages remaining, the gap between them was a mere 0.2 seconds in favor of the Hungarian team. Determined to win in their first attempt outside of the UK, Richard Jordan and Sam Collis pushed forward and took the top step of the podium. This marked their first overall win, and they expressed great enthusiasm for the Greek rally stages.
Tibor Erdi Jr. and Istvan Kerek finished in second place, which secured them the European Championship title. Driving a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4, they opted not to pursue the victory, as second place was sufficient for the title. They were also crowned champions in Category 4. Marios Stafylopatis and Giorgos Chatzirigas completed the rally in third, finishing as the highest-ranked Greek team in the Greek Historic Rally Championship. Despite hydraulic steering issues with their Lancia Delta Integrale, they won the final two stages and secured third place overall.
Ernie and Anna Graham celebrated their fourth-place finish with their right-hand-drive Ford Escort MKII. British driver James Potter and Karen Graham achieved their best result of the season by finishing fifth, despite not having time to make full race preparations. They performed admirably with their Ford Escort MKII. Sixth overall and second among the Greek crews were Alexandros Christodoulou and Athanasios Samaras in a Lancia 037 Rally. They avoided major issues this year and battled closely with Giorgos Paradeisis and Ploutarchos Stergiou, who followed them.
The Ford Escort RS1600 MKI crew of Paradeisis-Stergiou finished seventh overall, third among the Greek crews, and first in Category 2. Although they faced a flat tire in the penultimate stage, they held onto their position. Lamia-based Konstantinos Mylonas and Nikos Paraperas, in a Toyota Celica TA22, took eighth overall after slowing down near the end, as they had a comfortable gap over their rivals.
Returning to racing after a long break, Konstantinos Papadimitriou and Manos Sigalas gradually improved, finishing in ninth place overall and first in the front-wheel-drive class with their Toyota Starlet EP71 Turbo. Tenth overall and second in Category 3 were Alexandros Chalivelakis and Thanos Papageorgiou in a Ford Escort RS2000, with a problem-free run in the Sunday stages.
Another British crew, Philip Young and Peter Dowds, joined the rally, driving a rear-wheel-drive Ford Escort MKII to third in Category 3. Meanwhile, Greeks Konstantinos Argyriou and Stamatis Laskos reached the finish in a Toyota Starlet EP71, taking third in the front-wheel-drive class and fourth in the 1600cc category.
Historic Acropolis Rally was part of the European Historic Rally Championship again this year. The Organizing Committee thanked all participants and looks forward to next year’s event, with hopes of being part of the EHRC once again.
The rally was sponsored by SEAJETS, Avis Car Rental, Clevermedia.gr, SP Tableware, and Superfast Ferries. Essential support came from the Attica Region, Boeotia Regional Unit, and Phocis Regional Unit, along with the Municipalities of Athens, Thebes, Livadeia, Delphi, Orchomenos, Aliartos, Nafpaktos, and Ancient Olympia. Cosmote TV served as the media sponsor, supporting motorsport events across Greece.
