Motorsports
The Rally of Syros 2022 beautifully revived the Rally of the Islands
SISA took the idea of champion Miltiadis Mitsias and the Rally of Syros is now a fact, filling the streets of Archondissa in the Cyclades with splendor and history.
During the three days of May 20-22, 2022, Syros was filled with the splendor of historic cars as part of the Syros Rally 2022. The Rally of Syros is now a fact and revives the Rally of the Islands that took place from 1992 to 2006.
The first teams arrived at Ermoupolis port on Friday morning and by late afternoon Miaouli Square in front of Ermoupolis City Hall was full of historic cars from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Impressions were stolen from the only E8000 red electric car built in Syros by Enfield Neorion in the 70s.
The people of Syros welcomed the event and filled the square. At 8:30 am the crews were treated to a “Welcome Drink” at Villa “Komninou” and the region’s magnificent outdoor area with a unique view of the Aegean Sea.
The start of the race was on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. by the Deputy Regional Governor of South Agaio, Mr. G. Leontaritis.
Contrary to many who thought it was a simple rally, the 7 stages with 20 timers proved to underscore the sporting nature of SISA. The specials “Episkopio”, “Pagos” and “Ano Meria” provided the temporary avant-garde in the Lancia Delta by G. Vaxevanidis-I. Vaxevanidis, with Soultatos-Kotzias and the VW Beetle on the prowl.
The first cars arrived in San Michalis just after 2am to rebuild the race. The gastronomy of “Plakostrotos” in combination with the unique view offered the crews a unique hospitality.
The second leg started at 4 ½ with “San Michalis” as the direct specialist. “Lazaretta” and “Vari” followed, but it was the last special “Danakos” that held back somersaults and emerged victorious as Georgakopoulos-Biniakou in the Austin Mini.
The experienced G. Vaxevanidis-H was second. Vaxevanidis with the Lancia Delta and the top 3 was completed by Abastado-Passa with a Toyota Celica.
The Touring Trophy category was won by SISA’s ‘veterans’, Trikardos-Georgikopoulou with MGB, followed by ‘Salaminomachi’ Lalousis-Kastaniotis with Toyota Corolla GTi and ‘Amazons’ Pouli-Tsilivigou with Toyota Colla Xli.
In the Touring Classique category, the winners were the usual suspects Lymperopoulos-Lymperopoulou with Mercedes 250S, second the up and coming Vidakis-Chatziioannou with MG A and third the Honorary President of SISA, L. Papazoglou with co-driver M. Nikolopoulou and Alfa Romeo.
However, the biggest winner was the people who spent three days in Syros enjoying the beautiful historic cars on the island’s streets.
On Saturday night, the awards were presented at the Ono Concept overlooking the sea and the sunset, with the crews renewing their appointment for the 2023 Syros Rally.
Sunday was a day off for ta crews to combine the competition of the race with the assets of the island.
In a statement, SISA thanks the South Aegean Region for their support and unparalleled hospitality, the Syros Enfield Historic Vehicles Association, the Municipality of Ermoupolis, the Quality of Life Committee, the Port Fund and Port Authority of Syros, the Hellenic Police and of course the organisation’s leaders.
The detailed results of the categories will be published on the website www.sisa.gr.
Source: sport 24
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.