2024-04-15 22:32:30
The 2nd Ascent of Ioannina, organized by the Motor Sports Association of Ioannina EL.ETA on the weekend of April 13-14 on the route of Ligiades, promises a high-level spectacle, with 25 crews and cars expected to be at the starting line.
The race counts towards the Climbing Cup of Northern Greece and gathers notable entries, among which several athletes from Ioannina are included. “Ioannina is very developed in motor sports. There are athletes and cars that are at a high level. It’s worth it for people to come to the route”, said the president of ELETA Christos Sarigiannidis, thanking the Region of Epirus and the Municipality of Ioannina, who are always on the side of ELETA, the sponsors “I.KTEO AUTOTEST Vounoplagia” and the City Cars Ioannina, representing Peugeot, MG, DC Citroen, as well as the Ioannina Traffic Department, EKAB, the Fire Brigade and the Volunteer Samaritan Corps of the Ioannina Regional Department of the Hellenic Red Cross for their help. Also, he especially thanked the regional governor of Epirus, Alexandros Kahrimanis, for the formation of an alternative access, which will connect the Ligiades with Mazia, so that no issue will arise for those who need to move during the match. A road, in fact, that is going to be asphalted in the second year.
The 4 km long route will start from the intersection of the Ioannina – Trikala National Road with Ligiades and will end just before the central square of the martyred Community, which will be filled with the sounds of racing cars. On the first day, Saturday, April 13, the time trials will be held and on Sunday, April 14, the two legs of the race.
With real time results
An innovation of this year’s event is the immediate transmission of the results on ELETA’s website (thanks to the development of an automated recording of time and results, which resulted from the collaboration with the IT company ActionNPA.
“Start, split and finish times will be automatically recorded and will be visible on the page within 5 seconds. ELETA will be the only car racing organizer in Greece, which will have an automated recording system. The system is scalable and in the second and third year we will be able to expand it for live audio and video transmission through the internet live”, explained the owner of ActionNPA Nikolaos Arkadopoulos, noting that all the programmers, who worked on a voluntary basis for the development of the system, they are Gianniotes.
Support and thanks
The fact that the Ascent of Ioannina joined the Cup of Northern Greece from its second event, the Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Christos Tatsis, commented. “Everyone’s wish is to join the championship, because in this way the participations will multiply”, he emphasized, adding that the Municipality will be helpful in all actions that bring visitors to Ioannina. He noted, at the same time, that it is an opportunity for Ioannina to show their “balcony”, which is the Ligiades.
Deputy Regional Governor for Sports Haris Lazanis congratulated the people of ELETA for the effort to promote motor sports and include the Ioannina Climb in a pan-Hellenic championship. “The Region is and will always be a helper in such actions, which bring people to Ioannina and in general to Epirus, because we believe that sports is a pillar of development for the region”, he added.
Traffic regulations
Due to the race, temporary traffic arrangements will be in place.
By the Ioannina Traffic Department, there will be a temporary stoppage of traffic both on Saturday and Sunday from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm on the road from the intersection of Ligiadon to Ligiadon square and in the section of the old E.O. Ioannina – Trikala from the Amphithea intersection to the Mazia stadium. The traffic of trucks over 3.5 tons will also be suspended in the section of the old E.O. Ioannina from the junction of Zagori to the junction of Mazia.
The deputy commander of the Ioannina Traffic Department, police deputy director Dimitrios Manzios, asked the drivers to comply with the instructions of the traffic officers and wished success to the organizers.