Antonis Korfiatis, 69, Greece’s car racing champion in the 70’s and 80’s committed suicide. Korfiatis was found by relatives by friends in his home. He had cut his wrists with a razor blade.
the man was living alone in his home in Patras, western Peloponnese. Every day, he used to visited the local coffee house and shared a chat and coffee with his friends. When his friends did not see him on Monday, went to his home. As nobody answered they alarmed his relatives. They found him in a lake of blood.
According to local media reports, Korfiatis was suffering form serious economic problems. He had often confided to his friends his intention to put an end to his life. But apparently nobody could imagine he would materialize such intentions.
In the 70’s Antonis Korfiatis had won five times the championship in Greek car races. He was the founder of Patras Automobile Club.
Top moment in his career was in 1976 in climbing for cars 2,000 cc. A few years, he scored relevant successes at racing with 1,300 cc cars.
He mostly drove ‘asphalt” and ‘climbing’ races, both as driver and co-pilot. He participated with OTE team to Balkans rally and drove Audi in famous “Rally Acropolis”.
In the 70’s he had a car spare-parts store in Athens. Later he sold Scandinavian Nimbus boats.
Since a couple of years, he had return to his hometown Patras and had opened a spare-parts shop.
Greece saw a sharp increase in suicides after the economic crisis settled in the country with the total recession above 20% for the last three years.