The Hellas Rally

“The more challenges there are on the way, the more valuable the destination” – Hellas Rally

This week sees riders from all over the globe descend on Karpenisi in Greece for the 2019 edition of the now famous Hellas Rally. Titled as “The best amateur Rally in Europe” giving a full seven days of real-world Roadbook Rally racing, “This year’s event is set to be not only a lot of good off-road fun but also a real Rally Raid event in every aspect. With the idea behind this event being to provide rally riders, especially newcomers and amateurs, the right place to start without it being a boring race to the top professional riders that take part. “For instance, we were a starting rally for Matthias Walkner who became the World Champion in 2015 and Dakar winner in 2018. We’ve always had a good record when it comes to professional riders.” Organizer and Founder Meletis Stamatis reports.

“After many years of different national competitions, we decided to start the Hellas Rally in 2011. We wanted an international event to show to other nationalities that Greece could host a big event of this kind and that we have all the necessary elements for an international level Rally such as this. To be honest, we didn’t expect much at the beginning, but what happened was overwhelming and definitely a big surprise to us. Right now, we are the biggest Rally in Europe with participants from over twenty-five nationalities taking part.”

“Every year the target is to improve and lift the event up to a higher level while still keeping the cost down. We are one of the cheapest events of this kind in the world, especially when you consider the length of the event, and the service level the competitors enjoy.” The Hellas boasts thirteen race categories catering to a wide range of set-ups and cc’s with seven of those categories catering to motorcycles specifically. With the Elite class catering especially to professional riders.

Italian rider and longtime competitor Michele Cotti will be participating in his fifth straight Hellas Rally this year. “I started racing 2011 in the Italian Championship in the 450cc class, and I took part until 2018. Racing every race without taking a break through those years. However, my first true Rally Raid was when I participated in the Hellas Rally in 2015, and I’m proud to be back again this year.”

This will be Michele’s third Rally for 2019 having already finished the Hispania Rally and the Merzouga Rally in Morocco although it won’t be on his beloved 450cc. “This year I will ride with a big motorbike, a KTM 1090 Adventure R! From the very first Hellas I took part in I’d always wondered how it would be to ride this amazing event with a big bike. So this year, I plan to find out first hand.” Michele’s 1090 is a demo-bike from the Italian ADV outfitter Twalcom. “Tiziano Monti has specially tuned the suspension for me, and I changed the exhaust over to an amazing SC-Project Adventure end can. Other than that the bike is practically stock. For the race, if anything does go wrong, I’ll be counting on the support of the TMF Racing Team.”

“Hellas Rally is not only a race, but it’s also a life event. I love to see the same light burn inside the other competitor’s eyes as I feel inside of me. Every stage creates within us all a strength and pride for the effort we all put in. Hellas is the best and most real European Rally Raid that absolutely anyone could take part in. You get to ride your bike between the Greek mountains and through colorful forests. The terrain is awesome with a wide offering of sand, mud, grass, gravel, rocks and plenty of river crossings. Along with that, it is also very affordable for what the rider gets. It links together professional riders with amateurs on the same playing field. Every year I’ve seen Hellas grow and become better. The organizers consider everything, especially about what could go wrong, and I’ve never seen them make a mistake twice.”

Also competing this year is the two-man team of TrafoRally made up of Serkan Tekdurmaz and Gunduz Hakan Savaser. “The two of us have been riding together since 2012 competing in events like Rally Albania, the Serres Rally, Transanatolia and the Rally Antiphellos in our native Turkey.” With Greece being so close to their homeland, the two riders have built up a true fondness for their annual pilgrimage. “We probably have the easiest access to the event area being so close. The different stages each year, in terms of riding and racing pleasure, is also extremely satisfying. On some of them, you can be as fast as Coma, and on others, you can be as flexible as Jarvis. Couple with that a well thought out and researched road book and the general organizational quality, you probably get the best of its kind semi-pro event. We’ve been riding the Hellas Rally almost from the start, and we’ve had a lot of good times and met some truly amazing people. For us, going back each year is like having a big family meeting along with some riding thrown in.”

Serkan and Gunduz will be competing on a set of KTM 250 EXC-F’s this year. “We always get the question; ‘can you rally with a 250?’ It’s easy to handle and has enough power to keep up with bigger cc categories. You can actually stay on podium in any rally, apart from desert rallies off course.” The team set up their weapons of choice with MST rally kits, RNS tripmasters, and two F2R roadbooks. Fuel range for both machines come in the form of a 4 gal / 15 L Acerbis fuel tank. “We find they are great for the range vs. handling/weight ratio consideration that is so important for navigation style racing.” Other than that both bikes are in stock form when it comes to the engine, chassis and suspension components. “We only have differences in the way our suspension is set up for each of our individual styles of riding.”

“We are really looking forward to this year’s Rally. Its an incredible seven days of competition and camaraderie along with the whole adventure of being on the road, every minute of it is priceless. It is a ‘candy shop’ for off-road riders. Our main priority is to finish without any penalties. A podium finish would be great, but it looks quite far off for our level of riding experience. We aim to have fun and still keep our hundred percent finishing rate without any penalties or such, which is already a big success in of itself. Since the first years though we’ve both managed to stay in the top thirty percent of the overall standings, and that’s what we want to keep as up for as long as possible. Along with that, our main aim is catching up with everyone again. Both the riders and the fantastic people who organize the Rally itself. The food in Greece is also something not be missed!”

Every year the Hellas Rally moves to a different city as it’s base in the Southern part of Greece. “Since we are a single bivouac rally, moving location every year is essential, so nobody gets bored, even us. This way we not only keep the competition fresh but we also offer our guests and competitors a greater view of our country, which by the way remains one of the last true off-road paradises in Europe,” Meletis.

“This year we are expecting plenty of riders, and we are thrilled with our new bivouac and race area. With the interesting stages we have lined up and the newly designed road book we think it will be a superb edition. Our new home for this year’s event is a ski resort outside the town of Karpenissi. We’ve worked hard to create a Dakar style bivouac with all the comforts needed, such as wifi, camping, catering, a bar, and even a cinema so that competitors can truly have a great week.”

For more on the Hellas Rally check out their Facebook page or follow along on their Instagram feed.

All images copyright Actiongraphers supplied by the Hellas Rally management team.