Craig Breen
Julio Cesar Castrillo and Francisco Javier Alvarez died after a crash at the Villa de Tineo Rally race in Spain – third Rally Racing death within a week.
Spain’s Villa de Tineo Rally witnessed a horrific crash that has resulted in the deaths of Rally Racing drivers Julio Cesar Castrillo and Francisco Javier Alvarez.
Both the drivers passed away after colliding with a tree at a high speed in the Asturias region. Castrillo and Alvarez were driving a Citroen DS3 N5 car and they, unfortunately, lost control during the penultimate stage of the race, leading them to smash against a tree away from the track.
As per reports, both drivers were declared dead soon after the incident occurred. The drivers were from Oviedo and were two legends of the sport with more than 20 years of experience. The rest of the event was suspended by the officials after the horrifying crash and the resulting deaths.
Condolences poured in from the racing community as the news of the incident spread across the globe. Notable racing personalities like Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Sr. were among the various personalities who paid their condolences.
Professional racing has unfortunately witnessed three deaths within a span of seven days. Craig Breen of the Hyundai Motorsport Rally Championship team died after an accident at a pre-event test of last weekend’s Croatia Rally. Breen had rejoined Hyundai on a part-time basis for the new World Rally Championship season 2023 after a successful year-long stint with the M-Sport Ford World Rally team. The Irish driver was only 33 at the time of his death.
Breen was a veteran driver in the professional racing circuit and represented multiple teams in the World Rally Championship such as Peugeot Sport, Citroen, Hyundai, M-Sport Ford besides his current team Hyundai. He is remembered for winning the 2021 Rentokil Historic Rally in his home country of Ireland. The Irish driver also registered other famous wins including the 2012 Super 2000 WRC and the WRC Academy Cup in 2011 among others. In his illustrious professional career spanning more than a decade, Breen registered 30 stage wins besides recording 9 podium finishes. He was also an Irish Tarmac Rally Champion – a prestigious title in the world of Rally Racing.
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