Hyundai Motorsport driver Craig Breen has been killed in a testing accident. Hyundai was conducting a pre-event take a look at on asphalt roads in Croatia earlier than the FIA World Rally Championship spherical there subsequent week. According to DirtFish, Breen went off the highway and his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 collided with a pole. The 33-year-old Irishman was fatally injured within the crash whereas his co-driver was unhurt. The incident is being investigated by Croatian authorities and Hyundai.
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Breen was born in Waterford, Ireland in 1990. He began his racing profession in karting earlier than transferring to rallying in 2009. Breen entered and received the WRC Academy championship in 2011, with class wins in Rallye Deutschland and Wales Rally GB. Breen made his top-class WRC debut with Citroën in 2016. Over his profession, he completed on the rostrum eight instances with 30 stage wins.
Breen joined the M-Sport World Rally Team final 12 months, the primary season with the present hybrid Rally1 rules. The Irishman completed third in the course of the season-opening Rallye Monte Carlo, scoring yet another podium in the course of the 2022 season and ending seventh within the championship. Breen moved to Hyundai in 2023 to contest a part-time WRC marketing campaign.
Hyundai released the following statement after the incident:
Hyundai Motorsport is deeply saddened to verify that driver Craig Breen as we speak misplaced his life following an accident in the course of the pre-event take a look at for Croatia Rally.
Co-driver James Fulton was unhurt within the incident that occurred simply after noon native time.
Hyundai Motorsport sends its sincerest condolences to Craig’s household, buddies and his many followers.
Hyundai Motorsport will make no additional remark at the moment.
Source: jalopnik.com