Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the super special stage of the EKO Acropolis Rally on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the official start of the historic motorsport event. The Prime Minister visited The Ellinikon Sports Park, where the asphalt course of the EKO Super Special Stage has been laid out, and had the opportunity to drive a GR Yaris 2026 Aero Performance alongside former World Rally Championship factory driver Mads Østberg. He also took the co-driver’s seat in a groundbreaking hydrogen-powered Toyota GR Yaris — one of this year’s most notable technological innovations.
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“The impressions were fantastic,” he said immediately afterwards, adding that he had the chance 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.
Acropolis Rally and Ellinikon: “I am certain that everyone who comes here will be impressed”
The Prime Minister made special mention of the choice of Ellinikon as the rally’s starting point, linking the EKO Acropolis Rally to the broader regeneration of the area. “It is very significant that this location was chosen. The first sports and entertainment facilities here will be inaugurated soon. It will be a large park that citizens will be able to enjoy in the coming months,” he said.
He noted that spectators attending the super special stage would have the opportunity to witness not only a unique sporting spectacle, but also a first glimpse of Ellinikon’s new identity. “I am certain that everyone who comes here will be impressed,” he added.
Mitsotakis: “The fact that it is back on the World Championship calendar gives us enormous pride”
The Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of the EKO Acropolis Rally’s return to the international WRC calendar, describing it as an event of special symbolic importance for Greece.
“The fact that it is back on the World Championship calendar gives us enormous pride,” he said, stressing that the rally remains hugely popular on a global scale and continues to be a landmark event for motorsport fans worldwide.
The EKO Acropolis Rally returns from 25 to 28 June, set to write another chapter in the history of one of the WRC’s most iconic events. The action gets underway at The Ellinikon Sports Park, with the 1.86-kilometre super special stage bringing the world’s top rally drivers into the heart of Attica and delivering images that will reach millions of viewers across the globe.
“Let us always remember not to take inspiration from what we see on the track and replicate it on the road”
Beyond the competitive spectacle, Kyriakos Mitsotakis used his appearance to deliver a road safety message. “The message is simple: full throttle is for the track, not the road,” he stressed, pointing out that Greece is beginning to develop a different culture of road behaviour.
The Prime Minister cited recent figures showing that road fatalities have fallen by 21% — a reduction that translates, as he put it, into approximately 150 lives saved every year. “This result alone does not satisfy us. 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 roads every year,” he underlined.
Referring to the “heavy toll in lives” that Greek society continues to pay on its roads, he expressed confidence that a new driving culture is gradually taking shape, particularly among younger generations. “We can already see it. Habits are changing. Young people don’t drink and drive. Intensive enforcement checks also help, but all of this is being done for the greater good,” he said.
Closing his remarks, he called on citizens to enjoy the EKO Acropolis Rally while keeping its core message in mind. “Let us enjoy the EKO Acropolis Rally and always remember not to take inspiration from what we see on the track and replicate it on the road,” he said.
