Cyprus has lost one of its most recognisable figures in motorsport. Dimi Mavropoulos, the Limassol businessman, rally driver and founder of the Cyprus Historic & Classic Motor Museum, has died at the age of 76 following a tragic boating accident off Cape Greco.

Mavropoulos was aboard a boat that ran into severe conditions near the Agioi Anargyroi area on Saturday. He was recovered unconscious during a major search and rescue operation and later pronounced dead at Famagusta General Hospital. His daughter and partner were also rescued and taken to hospital.

For Cyprus motorsport, Mavropoulos leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. He began rallying as a teenager and competed internationally for more than four decades, driving machinery from Ford, Mitsubishi and Chrysler/Talbot among others. He won the Cyprus Rally Championship in 1986, 1988 and 1990, while his 1990 season remains one of the greatest achievements in local rallying history. He won all seven championship events that year, a record that remains unmatched.

That same year, Mavropoulos also achieved his long awaited victory in the international Cyprus Rally, winning the event in an Audi Coupé quattro alongside co driver Nicos Antoniades.

Away from competition, his passion for cars continued. In 2014, he founded the Cyprus Historic & Classic Motor Museum in Limassol, creating a collection dedicated to preserving the island’s automotive heritage.

Mavropoulos was much more than a successful rally driver. He became part of Cyprus’s motoring history, and his contribution to the country’s motorsport and classic car culture will be remembered for generations.

Rest in peace, Dimi.