MG ZR taking on Greek challenge.

Le Mans is not the only event being contested by MG this weekend - Gwyndaf Evans and Chris Patterson return to the Junior World Rally Championship to take on the Acropolis Rally in Greece. The developing MG ZR rally car was put through its paces recently in the Pirelli British Rally Championship, giving valuable testing experience in preparation for the 49th running of the testing Greek event - third round of the JWRC.

With the first two JWRC rounds of Monte Carlo and Catalunya being on asphalt, the Acropolis Rally takes on a new surface for the MG in the form of loose gravel.

In preparing for the next round Gwyndaf said: "The Acropolis Rally is going to be a new challenge for the MG team. Greece will be very hot in June, which will make conditions very demanding for crew and car alike.

"The car has come on a lot in the last six weeks and we have grown in optimism with regard to its performance, without losing sight that there is still some way to go in other areas. This is all part of the development process."

The MG ZR received its first major success when winning the S1600 class in the Pirelli International Rally, Gateshead in April. With the focus now firmly on Greece Chris Patterson, co-driver, believes the Acropolis could be quite a challenge.

Said Chris: "The Acropolis Rally is one of the toughest in the world but we've made a few progressive steps in development on two rounds of the British Rally Championship. It's Gwyndaf's first visit but we've been busy practicing making notes so we shouldn't be at a disadvantage to those who have been there before."

Over the past two months GSE Motorsport have completed a significant amount of work on the engine and chassis development. Baz Cannon, technical director and Steve Bond, rally manager, have been encouraged by the recent performances of the MG ZR on a loose surface but the heat of the Acropolis will prove the biggest tester yet.

Steve Bond commented: "Since Spain we have been concentrating on testing and developing the car for gravel. The results so far are very encouraging. The Acropolis rally is a stern test of driver, car and team but with our recent success we are all looking forward to the challenge."