The Huyndai team confirmed the sad news.
Irish rally driver Craig Breen, 33, has died in a crash that happened during the tests before the World Rally Championship in Croatia. Breen’s team Hyundai confirmed the news on Thursday.
Breen’s car veered off the road and hit a wooden pole head-on. The accident happened at 12:40 local time. Croatian authorities are investigating the accident involving the Hyundai.
– Hyundai Motorsport sends its deepest condolences to Craig’s family, friends and his numerous fans, the team tweeted.
Breen’s carter James Fulton was not injured in the exit, Hyundai informs.
The organization of the World Rally Championship, the World Rally Championship, expressed its regret on Twitter.
– The WRC family is shocked and sorry to hear about Craig Breen’s passing. Our thoughts and condolences are with Craig’s family and friends at this incredibly sad time.
President of the International Automobile Federation FIA Mohammed Ben Sulayem apologized on behalf of the FIA.
Breen previously 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.
Born in 1990, Breen started rallying in 2007. His father Ray Breen was the Irish rally champion. In February, Breen finished second in the World Rally Championship in Sweden. It eclipsed the best performance of his career in the WRC. Breen also finished second in Sweden 2018, Estonia 2020 and 2021, Belgium 2021 and Sardinia 2022.
Breen finished seventh in the Drivers’ World Series in 2022.
The previous deaths that occurred in the World Rally took place in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, a German Citroën driver driving in the junior class 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.
The previous death in the main series was from 2005, when Markko Märtinin map reader Michael Park died in a crash in the Welsh Rally.
The story is being updated…