Difficult to put on a suit and helmet after what happened to friend Craig Breen on April 13th. But surely, as a great sportsman, he would have gone on pushing harder and harder to become the man to beat.
It’s been a difficult day for motorsport as Breen has experienced the pain of the Irish driver’s death during pre-race testing for the Croatia Rally, where Breen was due to enter the field in his Hyundai i20 N Rally1. But fate was written and Craig lost his life in a trivial but fatal accident. And the “rally family” in these cases clings to grief for a friend, an enthusiast and a great driver who has never hidden his emotions and has been able to humbly show himself smiling and getting excited until he cried like a child for the victory of a world cup competition. We will always remember Craig Breen for his talent and passion and his memory will last forever.
There were numerous crews in Italy who wanted to commemorate the 33-year-old Irishman with stickers on their liveries, from the Piedmont Region rally (staged just the day after his death) to the Orobic Prealps Rally, Rally Due Valli and Rallye Elba. Irish by birth but Italian by adoption, Breen was able to make himself loved and be close to all the riders and enthusiasts. Hyundai, his official team, wanted to commemorate him with an ad hoc livery brought to the race by Neuville and Lappi. The third car, the one that Craig was supposed to use, was taken to Croatia and left on display in his garage.
Toyota: victory in Croatia with Evans
The Croatia Rally, the first round of the season on asphalt, saw the leadership change several times, with Neuville as protagonists with his Hyundai i20 N rally1 (he retired due to an off-road exit and returned with the super rally by winning the power stage) , Ogier on Toyota Yaris rally1 who led a race that was not without problems including two punctures, until at the end of special stage number 11 Evans on Toyota Yaris rally1 took the lead and kept it until the end. The British driver has been sharing the cockpit since 2019 with Martin Scott, a navigator who for five seasons, from 2014 to 2018, was alongside Craig Breen, winning together their first success in the world rally. A very moving moment was the arrival at the stop sign on the last stage, where happiness and emotion assailed the 41-year-old English navigator. Fatigue for the young reigning world champion, Kalle Rovampera, who only finished fourth.
Drivers’ and constructors’ standings after the fourth round
Following the Croatia rally, the fourth round of the 2023 World Rally Championship, the scores are very close: Ogier and teammate Evans are in the lead with 69 points, followed by Rovampera at 68, Tanak at 65, Neuville at 58 and Lappi at 31. As for the constructors’ standings, Toyota Gazoo Racing is in the lead with 16 points followed by Hyundai Motorsport at 132 and M-Sport Ford at 108 points. The next appointment with the World Rally Championship will be from 11 to 14 May at the Rally de Portugal, where the crews will once again compete on a dirt track.