Motorsport mourns the loss of rally star Breen
THE world of rallying has been stunned by the death of Hyundai factory driver Craig Breen, who was killed in a testing accident on 13 April.
The Irishman was driving his i20 WRC in Croatia, in preparation for round four of this year’s World Rally Championship, when the car left the road and struck a pole. Breen’s co-driver, James Fulton, was unharmed in the incident.
The duo were contesting a part-time programme with Hyundai, following a difficult season leading M-Sport’s Ford team in 2022. Croatia was to be their second outing in the i20, following an impressive run to second place in Sweden.
The son of an Irish national rally champion, Breen started his motorsport career in karts, but swiftly moved across to special stages. He showed promise in the one-make Fiesta Trophy, then graduated to one of the WRC’s leading support categories, the Super 2000 World Championship – but his campaign was hit by tragedy when his co-driver Gareth Roberts was killed in an accident on a rally in Italy. Breen fought on bravely for the remainder of the season to secure an emotional title victory.
Two years with Peugeot followed, before Breen picked up outings in Citroen Racing’s DS 3 WRC in 2016. He secured the first of eight podiums in Rally Finland that year, but his career prospects flickered as the team fought to develop the troublesome C3 WRC.
A part-time deal with Hyundai brought hope – and four more podiums – in 2020 and 2021, persuading M-Sport to pick Breen for what would ultimately prove a tough first season with the Puma in 2022.
Popular throughout the WRC service park, Breen was known for an infectious laugh, emotional stage-end interviews and his love and knowledge of the sport.
Beyond the top flight, he regularly turned out on historic events, driving everything from a BMW M3 to a Ford Sierra Cosworth. Only two days before his death, he attended a tuition event for 18 aspiring rally drivers in Ireland.
It’s hard to imagine a finer example of a superfan who ended up being one of the stars of the show itself.