But this season, Galatariotis clinched the overall Cyprus Rally Championship title for the first time in his career. He was driving alongside Antonis Ioannou for just the second season, and his ŠKODA FABIA R5 was wearing the colours of the Petrolina - Eni Racing Team but was prepared by his own Galatariotis Rally Team.
Galatariotis actually started the season in a different car and only switched to a FABIA R5 for the final two rallies of the season.
The Cypriot season started with the East Safari Rally in Paralimni and Galatariotis made a strong start to the campaign, finishing second overall behind his Petrolina - Eni Racing teammate Christos Demosthenous. Next up was the Tour of Cyprus, where Galatariotis secured his first victory of the season, finishing almost one and a half minute ahead of another Petrolina - Eni Racing teammates, Alexandros Tsouloftas.
Round 3 of the Cypriot championship was the Venus Rally, where Galatariotis and Tsouloftas exchanged places. This time it was Galatariotis who finished second behind his teammate. The action then moved onto the Cyprus Rally which was also part of the European Rally Championship (ERC) and the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) calendars. It was a hugely demanding, mixed surface event contested by many international rally stars. However, most of them struggled to cope with the conditions and Galatariotis put in a fine performance to finish second overall, with only former WRC2 champion Nasser Al-Attiyah finishing ahead of him. In both legs, which were the individual rounds of the Cypriot championship, he also secured vital points, finishing second in the national championship standings each day.
Simos Galatariotis at the Cypriot Rally Championship 2017
But this season, Galatariotis clinched the overall Cyprus Rally Championship title for the first time in his career. He was driving alongside Antonis Ioannou for just the second season, and his ŠKODA FABIA R5 was wearing the colours of the Petrolina - Eni Racing Team but was prepared by his own Galatariotis Rally Team.
Galatariotis actually started the season in a different car and only switched to a FABIA R5 for the final two rallies of the season.
The Cypriot season started with the East Safari Rally in Paralimni and Galatariotis made a strong start to the campaign, finishing second overall behind his Petrolina - Eni Racing teammate Christos Demosthenous. Next up was the Tour of Cyprus, where Galatariotis secured his first victory of the season, finishing almost one and a half minute ahead of another Petrolina - Eni Racing teammates, Alexandros Tsouloftas.
Round 3 of the Cypriot championship was the Venus Rally, where Galatariotis and Tsouloftas exchanged places. This time it was Galatariotis who finished second behind his teammate. The action then moved onto the Cyprus Rally which was also part of the European Rally Championship (ERC) and the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) calendars. It was a hugely demanding, mixed surface event contested by many international rally stars. However, most of them struggled to cope with the conditions and Galatariotis put in a fine performance to finish second overall, with only former WRC2 champion Nasser Al-Attiyah finishing ahead of him. In both legs, which were the individual rounds of the Cypriot championship, he also secured vital points, finishing second in the national championship standings each day.
Simos Galatariotis at the Cypriot Rally Championship 2017
