The circumstances of the tragedy are still unknown, but the world of car rallying is in mourning. Irish driver Craig Breen, 33, died Thursday in an accident that occurred shortly after noon in Croatia. The representative of the Hyundai team took part in a reconnaissance of the next round of the WRC World Championship scheduled for April 20 to 23 in this Balkan country alongside his co-driver James Fulton, who emerged unscathed from the crash.
A brutal and dramatic disappearance for this experienced driver, 82 rallies in the premier category to his credit for nine podiums, but without ever winning. Two months ago, Breen claimed second place in Rally Sweden, where he was only left behind by Ott Tänak on his first and only start of the WRC season. A month ago, the driver had already had a good scare during a race in Portugal as part of the European Rally Championship. In a bend, he had tipped his car over two of the four wheels before managing to recover, then start again.
The first death at the wheel of a WRC driver since that of the Portuguese Augusto Mendes during the Rally of Portugal in 1989 has aroused great emotion in the world of motorsport. “On behalf of the International Automobile Federation, I send my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Craig Breen following his death in a private test accident,” said FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and the Rally community during this difficult time. »
“The WRC family is shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Craig Breen, wrote the WRC on its social networks. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Craig’s family and friends at this incredibly sad time. “Craig was a model competitor and there was no greater supporter of Irish motorsport,” said Motorsport Ireland, in charge of organizing races in the island country.
Mourning over the death of his co-pilot in 2012
The son of former Irish rally champion Ray Breen, the 30-year-old started out in karting before joining the WRC circuit in 2009. He then had a string of seasons on the circuit, notably spending two seasons from 2017 to 2018 with the French Citroën team. But the Irishman had often struggled to find a team likely to maintain his full-time confidence. In 2021, he finished the season eighth in the world, having only competed in five of the twelve events, with three podiums at Hyundai. But last year, his disappointing results at M-Sport led the English team to part ways prematurely.
“I’m living my childhood dream and I’m enjoying it every moment,” he wrote as a biography on Instagram. However, Craig Breen had experienced a tragedy in 2012 on the roads of Sicily at the wheel of his Peugeot 207 S2000 when his Welsh co-driver Gareth Roberts had died during the Targa Florio, an IRC race. Nine years later, he returned to take part in this Italian rally for the first time. And the Irishman then celebrated an infuriating second place, less than three seconds from the coronation, at the place where his partner had died as a tribute.
“Thank you to my family and friends who helped me through one of the most emotional weeks of my life,” he said at the time. This morning, before leaving, I went back and celebrated with Jaffa (Robert’s nickname). I left my trophy, but I made sure there is room for the winner’s trophy when I return. This Thursday, the rally world mourns this broken promise and the memory of one of its familiar faces.