Urheilu’s rally expert Henri Haapamäki had time to get to know Craig Breen, who passed away on Thursday, in connection with the Jyväskylä World Championship Rally.
SpongeBob Forsberg,
Jouko Vuolle
Urheilu’s rally expert Henri Haapamäki was shocked to hear the Irish rally driver by Craig Breen of death.
– Pulls to silence. He was a close driver. Yes, the water started to come to my eyes when I heard the news.
Haapamäki got to know Breen a couple of years ago, when they filmed together Mikko Hirvonen with material from the Jyväskylä World Rally Championship for the city of Jyväskylä. You couldn’t help but like the cheerful Irishman.
– We had a sauna there in the evening and I got to know him. He asked a lot about our backgrounds. A very happy and sympathetic guy. I can’t help but be horrified by this news.
The worst possible misfortune
Breen’s car veered off the road and hit a wooden pole head-on. According to Haapamäki, Breen’s death was the sum of many unfortunate things.
– Yes, there has been really bad luck on the trip. There have been some pretty wild outings in the World Rally Championship over the years. Nothing worse has happened in a long time. Now the worst has happened. Quite a small exit, but some kind of railing or tree has penetrated the side window into the car. It has all the step marks hit in the worst possible place.
The previous death in the main series was from 2005, when Markko Märtinin map reader Michael Park died aged 39 in a crash in the Welsh Rally. A German Citroën driver who drove in the junior class in 2006 Jörg Bastuck died at the age of 36 in the Catalunya Rally when he had stopped to change a tire and was hit by another driver.
Death has touched Breen close before. Breen lost his cart by Gareth Roberts in the 2012 Sicilian IRC rally crash. In the UI section, a metal railing penetrated the car from kart driver Robertson’s side.
Breen’s demise was probably caused by a similar situation.
– Yes, a lot for one family. The family has already experienced the loss of Craig’s map reader. Now then, like this. Deepest condolences must be sent to his family. The situation was exactly the same then. Today’s cars can withstand even hard hits. But if something sharp penetrates the car, it is often fatal.
Shall we drive in Croatia?
Haapamäki estimates that Breen’s death will certainly remind drivers that rallying is a dangerous sport.
– Of course, it is always said that there are dangers when driving this hard. But yes, the new safety and new cars are blinding, the safety equipment looks terrible too. Maybe they give a sense of security that nothing bad can happen here.
– These are the moments when you return to the surface of the earth and notice that everything can be over in the blink of an eye, even though there are all kinds of safety frames on the doors. When such a sharp object penetrates, unfortunately, there is no way to properly prevent it. The glasses can’t be solid iron either.
The World Rally Championship in Croatia is scheduled for 20-23. April. According to Haapamäki, the organizers have something to worry about, whether to run the rally or not.
– No information has been received yet, whether the rally will be run. Many times it has been done so that there are quiet moments and other rituals, but the race is run. It has often been the hope of competitors that if something bad happens, life and racing must continue. Danger is part of the sport.