After three asphalt rallies in the last four events, it's gravel all the way for the final seven races of the World Rally Championship, starting with this week's Rally Greece.
The 'Rally of the Gods' features some of the toughest roads on the calendar, littered with sharp rocks and run in baking heat.
Resilience and toughness are perhaps even more important than raw speed on the twisting mountain roads and it could be worth swerving the shorter-priced competitors at this WRC event.
Rally Greece Tips Summary
Best Bet - Adrien Fourmeaux to win @ 8/1
Alternative Bet - Takamoto Katsuta podium finish @ 2/1
Rally Greece Prediction
Best Bet: Adrien Fourmeaux to win @ 8/1
Nine-time world champion Sebastien Ogier heads the betting, but the 42-year-old Frenchman has not been in the imperious form of last year.
His sole win in Greece came back in 2011, although the event was admittedly not on the calendar between 2014 and 2020.
Ogier's Toyota team-mates Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans are next in the market.
Solberg was publicly criticised by Ogier for taking too many risks after the Swedish-Norwegian crashed out in Japan last time out and that kind of driving will do him no favours in Greece.
As championship leader, Evans will have to go first through the stages in the first leg of the rally, thereby getting the worst of the road conditions.
The last four rallies have seen four different winners, but the only one of those which was on gravel was Thierry Neuville's victory in Portugal.
That is also Hyundai's sole success of the season to date, but they will be confident of making up for lost time now the series is back on loose surfaces.
Portugal was the only event of the season in which Neuville has outperformed his team-mate Adrien Fourmeaux and the Frenchman looks the pick at the prices.
Fourmeaux has been one of the more consistent performers this season, finishing no lower than fifth, except in Croatia where he was plagued by incidents.
Sitting sixth in the standings, Fourmeaux will find the roads have been swept mostly clear of the loosest dust and rocks which steal grip from those who tackle the stages earlier on.
The Frenchman has 40 stage wins and 10 podium finishes to his name and this could be the moment he finally earns his maiden WRC victory.
Alternative Bet: Takamoto Katsuta podium finish @ 2/1
Another driver whose consistency can bring rewards in Greece is Takamoto Katsuta.
The Toyota star rose above the chaos to win in Kenya and Croatia this season, thus taking his first two career WRC victories in consecutive events.
Katsuta has finished in the top seven in every rally this season and the Japanese driver will be keen to seize an opportunity to eat into Evans' 20-point championship lead.
Key Rally Stats
The last three years have seen three different winners of Rally Greece
The last four rallies this season have been won by four different drivers
Elfyn Evans leads the World Rally Championship by 20 points
Takamoto Katsuta has finished no worse than seventh all year
Adrien Fourmeaux has six top-five finishes in seven rallies this season
Read more WRC betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
