McRae hoping to return to early season form

This year's 21-stage event, which starts in Athens on Sunday, involves a gruelling trek across the gravel and dust terrain of Greece, before reaching a conclusion at the Megara circuit.

The Acropolis will not only be hard on the drivers, but will also sap their strength and fitness.

Temperatures above 30C will pose the biggest challenge to the entrants, and even though temperatures are comparable to Kenya's Safari Rally, the terrain means there will be less engine, transmission and brake cooling.

British hopeful Colin McRae and Ford Martini World Rally Team co-driver Nicky Grist, will be hoping for a repeat of their 1998 success in a bid to recapture their early season form.

The Focus duo will also be hoping to be the first to secure a hat-trick of rally wins this season.

'I'll train in the high temperatures in Greece for three or four days before the event to make sure I'm fully acclimatised,' said 30-year-old McRae.

'The Acropolis is a sprint event where you drive at your limits on every stage, so it's difficult to judge which is the harder.'

Meanwhile, Subaru duo Richard Burns and co-driver Robert Reid will be aiming to go one better following their impressive second place in Argentina.

The English charger is currently lying seventh in the drivers' championship but a similar performance could put him back in contention for the title.

Burns' team-mate, veteran Finn Juha Kankkunen, will be looking for back-to-back success after scoring a sensational victory in the Argentine rally after a barren win-less run of five years.

Fellow countryman Tommi Makinen has suffered a mid-year slump, which has seen the World Champion's early season advantage negated by the consistent Toyota pilot Didier Auriol.

Carlos Sainz, who finished runner-up in last year's championship is presently lying in joint third place in this year's campaign.

Another strong performance from the Spaniard would boost Toyota's lead in the Manufacturers' title chase.

Thomas Radstrom and Fred Gallagher will drive the second Ford, the pair fresh from sixth place in last month's Rally Argentina.

Leading Formula 2 entries include the Hyundai's Kenneth Eriksson/Staffan Parmander and the British duo Alister McRae and David Senior.

The Acropolis Rally, totalling 1,400km, is steeped in history as one of the classic events of the WRC, but the 1999 version signifies a move into rallying's modern era.

As opposed to the traditional start at the Parthenon, high above Athens, is a modern stage used to begin competitive action for the first time.
The first and last legs comprise essentially the same stages, while the middle leg is expected to be the toughest of all at more than double the length of any other day and lasting more than 15 hours.