Nontas Karanikolas-Giorgos Kakavas Rally Greece Champions in the Rally3 category

With their consistent performance in all four races of the year, in the last round of this year’s Panhellenic Dirt Rally Championship, Nontas and Giorgos became champions in the newly established Rally3 category.

The conquest of this important title came in a historically significant year, since this year the Panhellenic Rally Championship celebrated its 60th anniversary.

In the Autumn Rally, which consisted of 6 Special routes, Karanikolas-Kakavas with the Ford Fiesta Rally3 started strongly, rising – with the first year in the opening Special – to the top of the general classification.

Then, checking the competition in terms of years – which, as in every round of the championship, was intense and tough – they decided to do a maintenance race without driving risks, in order to return to the finish as holders of the Rally3 title.

And on Sunday afternoon, October 6, 2024, at the Ford Car Center facilities in the Service Park of Itea, champagne was opened in honor of the champions! Those who were in the cockpit of the Ford Fiesta Rally3, but also all the team members who maintained and technically supported the car throughout the year.

This title for Nontas Karanikolas adds to the two he already holds in the F2 category. “Before the race our approach for him was to go as fast as we could as there was no room for tactics”he emphasized. “In the first turns of the 1st E.D. I felt very good with the car and without exaggeration all this brought out a confidence for what I wanted to do, that is to start strong and at a fast pace.

Now, how easily did this title come? I feel that I did the least work because the most basic work was done by the executives and engineers of the team. Every time, in every race they delivered us an even, competitive and durable car by calculating every single parameter.

Driving, what I had to do was to have a safe pace and be fast at the same time. The effort and the team members’ time was rewarded in the best way: winning the Rally3 championship.

And what gives the greatest value to our success is that it came against an absolutely top competition in our category, which automatically raises both the level of improvement of all of us and also works in favor of the sport in general”. concluded Nontas Karanikolas.

His co-driver, Giorgos Kakavas, added: “Although the competition was intense and tough from the start in the Rally3 class, the year started in the best way.

Race after race we steadily improved our performance, while I must say that our participation in the Acropolis Rally and our performance in them in general helped a lot in learning our car. We won the championship because we were competitive, methodical and fast and because we didn’t give up in any match.”

The effort to participate was supported by top-of-the-line partners of the Ford Car Center, with whom the professional collaboration is continuous and on a daily basis with the final result being the absolute satisfaction of its customers.

These are the companies Castrol (lubricants), NBG LEASING (National Leasing-services for long-term leasing of vehicles & acquisition of fixed assets by lease), WÜRTH (mechanical workshop equipment), eltrekka (import and distribution of spare parts), DOULAKIS PARTS (car spare parts), STORE YOUR CAR (maintenance and storage services of historic & collector cars), Quick Fit (tire trading), while the communication sponsor is ATHENS VOICE GROUP.

(Press Release)