Craig Breen’s Fatal Crash | Jari-Matti Latvala is mourned by the death of the rally star – we wish the drivers peace of mind in Croatia

of Croatia The World Championship Rally starts on Thursday in a very exceptional atmosphere.

The rally world is not the top driver it used to be by Craig Breen after dying last Thursday in Hyundai’s tests.

“When the rally starts, Breen’s tragedy is surely in the back of every driver’s and every team’s employees’ minds. The situation is anything but easy”, the Toyota team manager Jari-Matti Latvala confirm.

In the tests in Croatia, Breen drove out harmlessly in a right-hand bend, but a wooden post on the side of the road managed to penetrate the cockpit fatally. He was 33 years old when he died.

“Before the start of the World Cup, the drivers usually have a smile on their faces and you can see their huge enthusiasm in everything. Now in the maintenance area, everyone’s expressions must be serious. Grief is still strongly present”, emphasizes Latvala.

However, the boss of Toyota, which has dominated the World Series in recent seasons, does not believe in creating an atmosphere of fear.

“The atmosphere will be tense at the beginning. All people experience grief differently, of course, but it is likely that the relaxation of being a driver will disappear,” Latvala sees.

“Especially in the first special stages of the race, it may be difficult for many. However, as the race progresses, the biggest tensions will probably subside and the feeling will be back to normal.”

According to Latvala, the journalists have been asked to respect the teams’ request that no more questions related to the accident be asked to the drivers.

“Negative things usually tighten like a spring to the limit if they are ground too much,” he reasons.

Direct After the accident in Breen, the question arose as to whether the World Rally Championship in Croatia should have been cancelled. Latvala thinks not.

“It is important to remember what Breen himself would have wanted in this situation. Breen loved driving and the sport so much that he obviously would have wanted the drivers at the starting line,” says Latvala.

“And the MM drivers also stand behind this decision.”

According to Latvala, the best way to push dark thoughts aside is to “go on with life”.

“That’s exactly the main message I’ve emphasized to our own drivers,” he says.

They are driving in Toyota’s World Cup team this season Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta and leading the World Series Sebastien Ogier.

“So I have emphasized to our drivers that organizing the race in Croatia would also have been Breen’s wish. And also that even though everyone is still very sad, life must be able to continue,” Latvala emphasizes.

“Our drivers have agreed. The last time I talked about it yesterday was with Evans, and he also believed that in a difficult atmosphere, continuing to work is the best medicine.”

In the same breath, Latvala underlines that the last time a top driver died in a rally was in 1986. At that time Henri Toivonen died after his car burst into flames after driving out.

“Everything in life has its risks, and rallying cannot be done without danger. In any case, the safety of the sport is already at a really good level. Investing in safety factors has paid off.”

Read more: Many racing stars have died in crashes

In my career Breen and Latvala, who finished eighth on the podium in the World Championship, were good acquaintances from years ago, even though they never worked in the same team.

“The first time I got to know Breen was in the 2009 World Rally Championship in Portugal. After driving out myself, I focused on following what Breen, under twenty, was doing, because they had already started making a fuss. Even then, he exuded an unusually great passion for rallying,” Latvala says.

“You could see from everything that he had the conditions to rise to the top of the rally world. However, it wasn’t easy after that”, especially not after 2012.

At that time, Craig Breen’s British karter Gareth Roberts died in a rally accident.

“It seems incredible how different destinies are handed out to people in life. Breen’s fate seems exceptionally heavy”, Latvala stresses.

“Breen was exceptionally kind. He was able to develop as a rider clearly after the death of his co-driver, which is not usual. After such a tragedy, not everyone can even continue driving, let alone find more courage.”

In the 2022 World Rally Championship in Kenya, Breen had come to talk to Latvala after his suspension. Breen was driving M-Sport’s Ford at the time, and the season was challenging for him from the start.

“Even though the interruption angered Breen, even in that situation, the first thing he thought about was driving. He loved the rally cars of the 1990s as much as I did, and that’s when Breen suggested that he could come somewhere and drive the Lahti Historic rally in his old Subaru.”

“Breen sought solace in driving because rallying was a way of life for him in the same way it was for me. It’s a shame that our shared dream didn’t come true,” says Latvala.

Breen’s At the family’s request, the funeral will be held already on Tuesday of this week. The WC rally family will not be able to participate, at least in all their glory, because the notation of the Croatian rally starts on the same day.

“I myself only heard about the funeral on Sunday, and today [maanantaina] I came back from Japan. There’s no way I’ll be able to attend the funeral, but I think the World Rally Championship family will remember Breen together later,” says Latvala.

“This genuine, relaxed and open person lives unforgettably in all of our minds.”