| 2003 Acropolis Rally | |
| Native Name: | 50th Golden Acropolis Rally |
| Round: | 6 |
| Championship: | 2003 World Rally Championship season |
| Previous Round: | 2003 Rally Argentina |
| Next Round: | 2003 Cyprus Rally |
| Rallybase: | Lamia |
| Startdate: | June 6, 2003 |
| Enddate: | June 8, 2003 |
| Stages: | 22 |
| Stagekm: | 399.49 |
| Overallkm: | 1441.37 |
| Surface: | Gravel |
| Driver1: |  Markko Märtin Michael Park |
| Team1: | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. |
| Car1: | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 |
| Teamsstart: | 83 |
| Teamsfinish: | 37 |
The 2003 Acropolis Rally (formally the 50th Golden Acropolis Rally) was the sixth round of the 2003 World Rally Championship. The race was held over three days between 6 June and 8 June 2003, and was based in Lamia, Greece. Ford's Markko Märtin won the race, his 1st win in the World Rally Championship.[1]
All dates and times are EEST (UTC+3).
| Date | Time | No. | Stage name | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 - 145.74 km | ||||
| 6 June | 08:18 | SS1 | Pavliani 1 | 24.45 km |
| 09:07 | SS2 | Stromi 1 | 14.61 km | |
| 10:10 | SS3 | Eleftherohori | 18.67 km | |
| 12:18 | SS4 | Rengini 1 | 11.84 km | |
| 12:46 | SS5 | Elatia - Zeli 1 | 34.68 km | |
| 15:37 | SS6 | Pavliani 2 | 24.45 km | |
| 16:26 | SS7 | Stromi 2 | 14.61 km | |
| 18:01 | SS8 | SSS Lilea - Parnassos 1 | 2.43 km | |
| Leg 2 - 148.71 km | ||||
| 7 June | 06:56 | SS9 | Mendenitsa | 17.34 km |
| 08:21 | SS10 | Bauxites 1 | 23.45 km | |
| 09:44 | SS11 | Drosohori 1 | 17.76 km | |
| 12:17 | SS12 | Rengini 2 | 11.84 km | |
| 12:45 | SS13 | Elatia - Zeli 2 | 34.68 km | |
| 16:03 | SS14 | Bauxites 2 | 23.45 km | |
| 17:26 | SS15 | Drosohori 2 | 17.76 km | |
| 18:18 | SS16 | SSS Lilea - Parnassos 2 | 2.43 km | |
| Leg 3 - 105.04 km | ||||
| 8 June | 09:28 | SS17 | Dikastro 1 | 18.40 km |
| 10:06 | SS18 | New Tarzan 1 | 20.65 km | |
| 11:04 | SS19 | Agios Stefanos 1 | 13.47 km | |
| 13:32 | SS20 | Dikastro 2 | 18.40 km | |
| 14:10 | SS21 | New Tarzan 2 | 20.65 km | |
| 15:08 | SS22 | Agios Stefanos 2 | 13.47 km | |
| Driver | Co-driver | Team | Car | Time | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Markko Märtin | Michael Park | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 4:53:40.5 | 10 | |
| 2 | 19 |  Carlos Sainz | Marc Martí |  Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:54:26.5 | +46.0 | 8 |
| 3 | 7 |  Petter Solberg | Phil Mills |  555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 4:54:33.2 | +52.7 | 6 |
| 4 | 2 | Richard Burns | Robert Reid | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 4:55:47.1 | +2:06.6 | 5 |
| 5 | 8 |  Tommi Mäkinen | Kaj Lindström | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 4:55:52.8 | +2:12.3 | 4 |
| 6 | 3 | Risto Pietiläinen | Marlboro Peugeot Total | Peugeot 206 WRC | 4:57:25.2 | +3:44.7 | 3 | |
| 7 | 21 | Gilles Panizzi | Hervé Panizzi | Bozian Racing | Peugeot 206 WRC | 4:57:34.8 | +3:54.3 | 2 |
| 8 | 17 | Colin McRae | Derek Ringer | Citroën Total WRT | Citroën Xsara WRC | 4:57:45.5 | +4:05.0 | 1 |
| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 (6 Jun) | SS1 | Pavliani 1 | 24.45 km |  François Duval | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 19:54.7 | François Duval |
| SS2 | Stromi 1 | 14.61 km | Markko Märtin | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 11:40.2 | Markko Märtin | |
| SS3 | Eleftherohori | 18.67 km | Harri Rovanperä | Peugeot 206 WRC | 11:28.2 | ||
| SS4 | Rengini 1 | 11.84 km | Harri Rovanperä | Peugeot 206 WRC | 8:41.8 | ||
| SS5 | Elatia - Zeli 1 | 34.68 km | Harri Rovanperä | Peugeot 206 WRC | 24:21.9 | ||
| SS6 | Pavliani 2 | 24.45 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 19:29.5 | ||
| SS7 | Stromi 2 | 14.61 km | Marcus Grönholm | Peugeot 206 WRC | 11:25.6 | ||
| SS8 | SSS Lilea - Parnassos 1 | 2.43 km | Stage cancelled | ||||
| Leg 2 (7 Jun) | SS9 | Mendenitsa | 17.34 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 10:55.0 | |
| SS10 | Bauxites 1 | 23.45 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 14:14.8 | ||
| SS11 | Drosohori 1 | 17.76 km | Markko Märtin | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 14:48.6 | ||
| SS12 | Rengini 2 | 11.84 km | Harri Rovanperä | Peugeot 206 WRC | 8:30.2 | ||
| SS13 | Elatia - Zeli 2 | 34.68 km | Markko Märtin | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 23:44.2 | ||
| SS14 | Bauxites 2 | 23.45 km | Markko Märtin | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 13:51.9 | ||
| SS15 | Drosohori 2 | 17.76 km | Markko Märtin | Ford Focus RS WRC '03 | 14:23.6 | ||
| SS16 | SSS Lilea - Parnassos 2 | 2.43 km | Carlos Sainz | Citroën Xsara WRC | 1:57.6 | ||
| Leg 3 (8 Jun) | SS17 | Dikastro 1 | 18.40 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 16:08.7 | |
| SS18 | New Tarzan 1 | 20.65 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 15:27.8 | ||
| SS19 | Agios Stefanos 1 | 13.47 km | Tommi Mäkinen | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 10:02.6 | ||
| SS20 | Dikastro 2 | 18.40 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 15:58.3 | ||
| SS21 | New Tarzan 2 | 20.65 km | Carlos Sainz | Citroën Xsara WRC | 15:10.3 | ||
| SS22 | Agios Stefanos 2 | 13.47 km | Petter Solberg | Subaru Impreza S9 WRC '03 | 9:46.7 | ||
| Drivers' championships | Co-drivers' championships | Manufacturers' championships | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | Move | Co-driver | Points | Move | Manufacturer | Points | ||||
| 1 | Richard Burns | 37 | Robert Reid | 37 | Marlboro Peugeot Total | 73 | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | Carlos Sainz | 32 | 2 | Marc Martí | 32 | Citroën Total WRT | 62 | ||||
| 3 | 1 | Marcus Grönholm | 30 | 1 | Timo Rautiainen | 30 | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | 39 | ||||
| 4 | 2 | Markko Märtin | 23 | 2 | Michael Park | 23 | 555 Subaru World Rally Team | 37 | ||||
| 5 | 1 | Petter Solberg | 19 | 1 | Phil Mills | 19 |  Škoda Motorsport | 20 | ||||
| Position | Driver | Entrant | Car | Time | Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Class | ||||||||
| 17 | 1 | 61 | Brice Tirabassi | Jacques-Julien Renucci | Renault Sport | Renault Clio S1600 | 5:27:34.0 | 10 | |
| 18 | 2 | 52 |  Daniel Carlsson | Matthias Andersson | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 5:28:29.2 | +55.2 | 8 |
| 19 | 3 | 71 | Urmo Aava | Kuldar Sikk | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 5:35:02.7 | +7:28.7 | 6 |
| 22 | 4 | 69 | Salvador Cañellas Jr. | Xavier Amigó | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 5:40:55.2 | +13:21.2 | 5 |
| 27 | 5 | 62 | Oscar Svedlund | Björn Nilsson | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | 5:49:22.1 | +21:48.1 | 4 |
| 33 | 6 | 70 | Guy Wilks | Phil Pugh | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Puma S1600 | 6:04:08.1 | +36:34.1 | 3 |
| Retired SS21 | 51 |  Mirco Baldacci |  Giovanni Bernacchini | Purity Auto | Fiat Punto S1600 | Mechanical | 0 | ||
| Retired SS17 | 63 | Massimo Ceccato | Mitia Dotta | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | Engine | 0 | ||
| Retired SS17 | 76 | Luca Cecchettini | Marco Muzzarelli | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | Engine | 0 | ||
| Retired SS11 | 54 | Kosti Katajamäki | Miikka Anttila | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | Gearbox | 0 | ||
| Retired SS11 | 67 | Alessandro Broccoli | Simona Girelli | Sab Motorsport | Opel Corsa S1600 | Driveshaft | 0 | ||
| Retired SS10 | 55 | Martin Stenshorne | Clive Jenkins | Ford Motor Co. Ltd. | Ford Puma S1600 | Alternator | 0 | ||
| Retired SS7 | 64 | Ville-Pertti Teuronen | Harri Kaapro | Suzuki Sport | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | Driveshaft | 0 | ||
| Retired SS5 | 57 | Dimitar Iliev | Petar Sivov | Auto Sport Italia | Peugeot 206 S1600 | Engine | 0 | ||
| Retired SS5 | 73 | Krum Donchev | Ruman Manolov | Auto Sport Italia | Opel Corsa S1600 | Lost wheel | 0 | ||
| Retired SS4 | 65 |  Abdo Feghali | Joseph Matar | Astra Racing | Ford Puma S1600 | Engine | 0 | ||
| Retired SS2 | 59 |  Beppo Harrach | Michael Kölbach | Astra Racing | Ford Puma S1600 | Lost wheel | 0 | ||
| Retired SS1 | 58 |  Marcos Ligato | Rubén Garcia | Top Run SRL | Fiat Punto S1600 | Steering | 0 | ||
| Retired SS1 | 74 | Kris Meeke | Chris Patterson | Opel Motorsport | Opel Corsa S1600 | Steering | 0 | ||
| Retired SS1 | 78 | Vladan Vasiljevic | Sebastian Geipel | Volkswagen Racing | Volkswagen Polo S1600 | Accident | 0 | ||
| Day | Stage | Stage name | Length | Winner | Car | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 (6 Jun) | SS1 | Pavliani 1 | 24.45 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 21:50.4 | Brice Tirabassi |
| SS2 | Stromi 1 | 14.61 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 12:57.0 | ||
| SS3 | Eleftherohori | 18.67 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 12:45.3 | ||
| SS4 | Rengini 1 | 11.84 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 9:52.4 | ||
| SS5 | Elatia - Zeli 1 | 34.68 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 27:17.5 | ||
| SS6 | Pavliani 2 | 24.45 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 21:36.6 | ||
| SS7 | Stromi 2 | 14.61 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 12:47.5 | ||
| SS8 | SSS Lilea - Parnassos 1 | 2.43 km | Stage cancelled | ||||
| Leg 2 (7 Jun) | SS9 | Mendenitsa | 17.34 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 12:30.5 | |
| SS10 | Bauxites 1 | 23.45 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 16:01.7 | ||
| SS11 | Drosohori 1 | 17.76 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 16:28.7 | ||
| SS12 | Rengini 2 | 11.84 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 9:45.0 | ||
| SS13 | Elatia - Zeli 2 | 34.68 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 27:04.4 | ||
| SS14 | Bauxites 2 | 23.45 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 15:39.6 | ||
| SS15 | Drosohori 2 | 17.76 | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 16:05.3 | ||
| SS16 | SSS Lilea - Parnassos 2 | 2.43 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 2:08.9 | ||
| Leg 3 (8 Jun) | SS17 | Dikastro 1 | 18.40 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 17:59.8 | |
| SS18 | New Tarzan 1 | 20.65 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 16:58.0 | ||
| SS19 | Agios Stefanos 1 | 13.47 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 11:04.8 | ||
| SS20 | Dikastro 2 | 18.40 km | Brice Tirabassi | Renault Clio S1600 | 17:47.0 | ||
| SS21 | New Tarzan 2 | 20.65 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 16:51.6 | ||
| SS22 | Agios Stefanos 2 | 13.47 km | Daniel Carlsson | Suzuki Ignis S1600 | 10:56.4 | ||
| Drivers' championships | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Driver | Points | ||
| 1 | Brice Tirabassi | 20 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Salvador Cañellas Jr. | 13 | |
| 3 | 4 | Urmo Aava | 11 | |
| 4 | 2 | Kosti Katajamäki | 10 | |
| 5 | 1 | Guy Wilks | 9 | |
Rory Kennedy
