In the heart of the special stage of the EKO Rally Acropolis on Wednesday afternoon (June 24), the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Mr. Mitsotakis had the opportunity to drive on the specially designed track at Elliniko, just a few hours before the ceremonial start of the historic race.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited The Ellinikon Sports Park, where the asphalt course for the EKO Super Special Stage has been laid out, and drove a GR Yaris 2026 Aero Performance with Mads Østberg, a former factory driver in the World Rally Championship for Ford and Citroën, as his co-driver. At the same time, he took the co-driver’s seat in a cutting-edge hydrogen-powered Toyota GR Yaris race car, which is one of the technological innovations of this year’s event.
“The impressions were amazing,” he said immediately afterward, adding that he had the opportunity to experience the track both as a driver and as a co-driver. “I was a co-driver, but I also drove on this track, which we built in record time,” he noted.
He made special mention of the selection of Elliniko as the race’s starting point, linking the EKO Acropolis Rally to the overall redevelopment of the area.
“It is very important that this location was chosen. The first sports and recreation facilities will soon be inaugurated here. It will be a large park that citizens will be able to enjoy in the coming months,” he noted.
As he said, those who visit the special route will have the opportunity to see up close not only a unique sporting spectacle, but also a first glimpse of the new look of Elliniko. “I am certain that those who are here will be impressed,” he said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of the return of the EKO Acropolis Rally to the international WRC, describing it as an event with special symbolic significance for the country.
“The fact that it is back on the World Championship calendar brings us great joy,” he noted, emphasizing that this is a race that remains particularly popular worldwide and continues to be a benchmark for motorsports fans.
The EKO Acropolis Rally returns from June 25 to 28 to write yet another chapter in the history of one of the WRC’s most iconic races. The race will start at The Ellinikon Sports Park, with the 1.86 kilometers taking the World Championship’s top drivers to the heart of Attica and providing images that will reach millions of viewers around the world.
Beyond the racing aspect, Kyriakos Mitsotakis used his presence to send a message about road safety.
“The message is simple: accelerators are for the racetrack, not for the road,” he emphasized, noting that the country is beginning to develop a different culture of road behavior.
The prime minister cited recent data, according to which traffic fatalities have decreased by 21%, which translates, as he said, to approximately 150 lives saved each year.
“We are not satisfied with this performance alone. We want to reach the European average as soon as possible and put an end to this unacceptable record, of mourning hundreds of our fellow citizens on the road every year,” he emphasized.
Speaking of the “heavy toll” that Greek society continues to pay on the roads, he expressed his conviction that a new driving culture is gradually taking shape, especially among the younger generations. “We’re already seeing it. Habits are changing. Young people don’t drink when they drive. The intensive checks are helping, too, but all of this is for the greater good,” he noted.
In closing, he called on citizens to enjoy the EKO Acropolis Rally, without forgetting the event’s core message. “Let’s enjoy the EKO Acropolis Rally and always remember that we shouldn’t take ideas from what we see on the track and try to replicate them on the road,” he said.
Speaking to COSMOTE TV, the Prime Minister stated:
Reporter: Good evening. You were one of the first people to get a taste of this beautiful track that has been built here at The Ellinikon Sports Park. Mr. President, you were among the first to get a taste of this track, which was built in record time. I’d like you to tell me what the choice of Ellinikon for the super special stage—which kicks off tomorrow’s EKO Acropolis Rally—symbolizes. It takes place every year at an iconic location in Attica. What does the choice of Elliniko symbolize, and what were your impressions from being there?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: First of all, I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to be both a co-driver and a driver on this beautiful track, which we built in record time.
I consider it extremely important that the Elliniko site was chosen, because in this area, where we are today, the first sports and entertainment facilities will be inaugurated in just a few months.
It is very important for citizens to understand that Elliniko is not just the residential buildings or the tower we see, but will also be a large park, with sports and recreational facilities. Over the coming months, this is something that citizens will not only see but also enjoy.
I am also certain that those who come here tomorrow to admire the super-special stage will be impressed. It really is an amazing spectacle, and we are very pleased to be able to support the Acropolis Rally as a whole and to breathe new life into it, as well as restore the prestige it deserves.
For us, as a generation that grew up with the Acropolis Rally, the fact that it’s back on the WRC calendar and remains an extremely popular rally worldwide brings us great joy.
Journalist: And this is the sixth consecutive year since its return to the World Championship calendar that it has been held here in Greece, in Athens. What impact does this race have? I don’t just mean in terms of sports tourism and other such activities; I also mean in terms of the parallel events taking place and the messages being conveyed—for example, regarding road safety. In fact, we saw that the European Road Safety Index released data indicating that by 2025, we had achieved a 22% reduction in traffic fatalities in Greece. What is the overall impact of this message?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I think the message is clear: accelerators belong on the racetrack, not on the road. And the fact that Greek drivers are developing—I would say—with the help of a government that has prioritized road safety, a different culture of behavior on the road is certainly a major national achievement.
A 21 percent reduction in fatalities equates to more than 150 lives saved each year. Obviously, we are not satisfied with this result alone. I would like to hope—as we can see from the 2026 data—that this trend will continue. We want to reach the European average as soon as possible so that we can stop holding this unacceptable “first place,” and to stop mourning hundreds of our fellow citizens every year who are needlessly lost on the roads.
Add to that the injured, those with paraplegia, and those with quadriplegia to understand just how heavy a toll in blood we pay as a society every year, simply because we do not behave responsibly on the road.
I have great confidence, especially in the younger generation, which is now learning a different culture when it comes to road safety, respecting both themselves and their fellow citizens in the way they drive.
We’re already seeing this in how habits are changing. Young people don’t drink before they drive. Of course, the exhaustive breathalyzer tests we conduct have also contributed to this. But all of this is for the best.
So let’s enjoy the Acropolis Rally, the super-special stage and the rally itself, and let’s always remember not to get any ideas from what we see and try to replicate them on the roads
