Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson started Acropolis Rally of Greece this morning, and on shakedown yesterday they found a good setup on the car. This is the third time the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team driver Mads Østberg participates in Acropolis Rally of Greece.

Since the last FIA World Rally Championship event in Argentina he has participated in the Norwegian Championship, which he is currently leading. He has also taken part of the environmental rally named Zero Rally in Norway with a Tesla Roadster. Now the Norwegian is back in Greece in the Ford Focus RS WRC with his Swedish co-driver Jonas Andersson on his right side.

Acropolis Rally of Greece is back on the WRC schedule, a rally that was missed in 2010. It is one of the toughest rounds in the WRC, with base in Loutraki which is 90 km west of Athens. It’s a rally with hard gravel, loose stones in the roads and high temperature.

Co-driver Jonas Andersson’s bag was stolen after they had to switch flight in London on Sunday to get to Greece. So the duo were forced to make new notes for the event.
- In the bag we had the pace notes from 2008 and 2009, and that turned things a bit upside down for us. I had hoped to come back and push with the front guys and to improve my old notes on the recce, but we had to make new notes for all the stages instead, said Østberg.

Østberg and Andersson are entering one of the most challenging rallies in the WRC, and on shakedown yesterday they found a good setup.
- I feel that we have found a good setup that works pretty well now, and this is a rally I really like. It is impossible to describe how rough the roads are, it is extreme. It has a lot of loose stones in the roads, and there are several places you can hit things in and outside of the road. Because we had to make new notes, we have to look out the first run, and then push harder and adjust our pace on the second run. It is important to get the small details in the pace notes to try to go fast where you can. There are some places on the stages that you have to slow down the pace, and almost just try to survive through the rough sections, said Mads Østberg.

Mads is now in sixth place halfway through the WRC schedule, and the participants will drive through 17 stages before they finish with the live sent Power Sage on Sunday afternoon.

You can follow Mads Østberg during Acropolis Rally of Greece on Twitter and Facebook.