With a total distance of nearly 800 miles, this was a proper Acropolis Rally – in all but the weather.
Three days of recce, two of which were conducted in awful conditions, left both drivers and photographers alike feeling quite tired before the rally had even started.
Chasing the cars across Greece felt like old-school rally photography. The challenge was there to think creatively, access the best locations and work with the conditions to portray the return of one of the most beautiful WRC rallies in camera.
Here’s a look at how the McKlein team got on.
01. Kalle Rovanperä & Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Yaris WRC 2021.
There’s no stopping this young flying Finn. He took the lead after the second stage on Friday and never relinquished it. Kalle Rovanperä’s blistering pace on Saturday morning was clearly visible, as shown here attacking the scenic Pavliani stage.
02. Dani Sordo & Cándido Carrera, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2021.
Dani Sordo paired up with his third different co-driver of the season, on what was a massively challenging event. Most of the recce was conducted in rain and fog, whilst the rally itself was dry. Fourth place was as good as they realistically could have hoped for.
03. Elfyn Evans & Scott Martin, Toyota Yaris WRC 2021.
The rough roads of Greece aren’t ideal for a big push to play catch-up. That’s exactly what Elfyn Evans had to do though after gearbox issues on Friday left him 16th overall and nearly two minutes adrift of the points. His fight back to sixth place started here on Saturday’s opening Pavliani stage.
04. Gus Greensmith & Chris Patterson, M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC 2021.
The rally relocated from Lamia to the seaside town of Loutraki on Friday, via a show stage in central Athens. The blue sea backdrop certainly made for some pleasing remote service pictures.
05. Ott Tänak & Martin Järveoja, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2021.
A study of a true speed demon, at speed. Fortune can favor a brave photographer prepared to use more demanding photo techniques. This image of Ott Tänak, captured by Colin McMaster, was well worth the gamble.
06. Adrien Fourmaux & Renaud Jamoul, M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC 2021.
The Thiva stage was another Acropolis classic revisited in 2021. The same bump, on the same corner, has remained in place since the first time it was used.
07. Gus Greensmith & Chris Patterson, M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC 2021.
This is the famous Bauxites stage, named after the aluminium mines close to the stage start in Itea. This scene was shot by Reinhard Klein, a photographer who has been there many times before (including Toyota testing) throughout his WRC photographic career, spanning six decades.
08. Ott Tänak & Martin Järveoja, Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 2021.
Water splashes the lens of Marcin Rybak’s camera, providing this dynamic shot. Ott Tänak is doing the splashing.
09. Sébastien Ogier & Julien Ingrassia, Toyota Yaris WRC 2021.
The heavy rains passed just before the rally started. Typically Acropolis is one of the dustiest rallies, therefore this is quite an unusual Acropolis Rally image.
10. Kalle Rovanperä & Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Yaris WRC 2021.
For the first time in a long time, big crowds were allowed back on to the WRC stages. They turned out in huge numbers.
