The "Rally of the Gods" is almost as old as the Greek gods themselves, with a history that goes back all the way to 1951. Rally the World took a closer look at which divine beings are an intrinsic part of the Greek WRC rally.

Legend no. 1, the official name of the Greek rally: the Acropolis Rally of Greece. The Acropolis is a world-famous landmark in Athens but cannot be seen from either the service park in Loutraki on the Gulf of Corinth or from any of the 14 special stages. A minor detail. We’ll just assume that the protective powers of Athena, the goddess of the city of Athens, also holds sway over the 306 km of special stages. Zeus, the father of the gods, may also have some competition in the form of rally demi-god Colin McRae. The Brit surely secured one of the most prominent places on Mount Olympus with his five victories in the Rally of Greece.

And the rest of the gods? Hyperion, a sun god, regularly transforms the cockpits of the WRC drivers into saunas on four wheels. Temperatures of over 50 degrees Celsius in the cars are more of the rule than the exception in Greece. Chronos, the god of time, regularly stands at the roadside during the Greek rally stages with a stopwatch in hand. Whether Nike, goddess of victory, will allow Sébastien Ogier to win again in the Volkswagen Polo R WRC is something we’ll find out by Sunday at the latest. Not to mention whom Lachesis, the decider of fate, has in his sights. Hopefully all the participants are on good terms with Heracles, the god of athletes. The special talent of Morpheus is the world of dreams. So, dear WRC drivers, better to stay wide awake than dream of victory. After all, no-one wants to end up like Phaethon, who drove the sun god Helios’ chariot into the Earth.

There will be much excitement for all fans at the Rally of Greece, both in sporting and mythological terms. Motorsport fans have long had the Greek gods on their side. The whole spectacle is best observed from the roadsides of the special stages in amongst flowering nature – the goddess Chloris will be pleased. Adonis, the god of beauty, also has a role to play. Dyed-in-the-wool fans can look forward to one of the toughest but most beautiful rally experiences in the WRC calendar.