Rally Greece Offroad postponed due to elections

The tenth Rally Greece Offroad was originally set to take place on 17–20 May as the second round of the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, but bigger developments for the country as a whole have forced it to be postponed for now. A new date was not immediately revealed.

On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced nationwide parliamentary elections will take place on Sunday, 21 May. Elections in the country are held every four years, though the 2023 edition will switch to a proportional representation system that removes bonus seats for the party that wins the majority. Should a party fail to secure a majority, a second election will take place later in the year.

While the rally’s original date was to end the previous day for the European Cup, the last day for National entries not competing for points was the 21st.

“The Greek Prime Minister called for general elections on May 21st 2023 and as such we are forced to announce that 10th Rally Greece Offroad will have to move in new dates,” reads a statement from race officials. “We are working closely with FIA and Greek ASN – OMAE so to announce the soonest possible the new dates.

“Organizers apologize for this inconvenient situation and they look forward to welcome you in Greece on the new dates that soon will be communicated.”

Due to the possibility of a second voting round, which is more likely to occur under the proportional representation system than the previous semi-proportional format, it could result in another clash for the rally depending on when either takes place. Reports have suggested July as a potential date for the election, while the next European Cup round—the Hungarian Baja—is scheduled for 3–6 August.

The European Cup’s final two rounds, the Baja TT Sharish Reguengos Mourão in Portugal and Baja Troia Türkiye in Turkey, are respectively taking place on 22–24 September and 20–22 October, meaning the next three months from August onwards are booked. While Cross-Country Bajas calendars have had multiple rounds in the same month before, such as the World Cup’s Italian Baja and Baja España Aragón both separated by two weeks in July, the FIA prefers to maintain a sizable gap between races to alleviate international travel challenges.

Rally Greece Offroad’s postponement means all three FIA Cross-Country Bajas championships have had a schedule change from their initial reveal in October. In February, the World and Middle East Cups swapped their Dubai International Baja and Jordan Baja slots while the Baja Troia Türkiye was dropped from the Middle East’s calendar. The latter’s Baja Kuwait also lost its original date with a replacement week yet to be revealed.

The 2023 European Cup season begins with the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura in Spain on 14–16 April.

Follow @TCFoffroad: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram