Majorette Hyundai I20N – In memory of CRAIG BREEN FEATURETTE
Once again there is cause for mourning in the motorsport world. Following the death of Ken Block in an accident in January this year, rally driver Craig Breen, aged 33, died today (Thursday) in his Hyundai i20N N Rally1 during testing for the next round in Croatia. The exact circumstances of the tragic accident are still unclear. The only certainty so far is that Breen collided with a pole. As a result, he had succumbed to his severe injuries. Co-driver James Fulton, on the other hand, was not injured.
In his motorsport career, Breen took part in a total of 82 rounds of the World Rally Championship and made it onto the podium 9 times. Breen has competed in the World Rally Championship since 2009. He has so far failed to win the WRC. At the Aphalt test, Breen prepared for his second WRC appearance of the season as the third driver for Hyundai. He made his first appearance of the season at the second event of the season in Sweden in mid-February, where he finished second behind Ott Tänak. The second place was Breen's best position in the World Rally Championship, which he had achieved a further five times before. In 2022, he finished seventh overall as a full-time driver for M-Sport.
Safety Concepts
Accidents in rallying have fortunately become very rare in the meantime. This is mainly due to the very strong materials and revised safety concepts of today's vehicles. Over the past years, drivers and co-drivers have remained practically uninjured, despite some spectacular accidents. The last fatal accident dates back to 2005, when co-driver Michael Park with the Peugeot works team lost his life. By far the most dangerous period in rallying was in the 1980s with Group B. An article about this can also be found on our website as well.
In Memory of Craig Breen
Craig was the son of Ray Breen, a national champion in Irish rallying. He did a part-time campaign with the Citroën Total World Rally Team in 2016, achieving his maiden Special Stage win and an emotional first podium finish with third place at the 2016 Rally Finland. He improved the result in 2018 by finishing second at the 2018 Rally Sweden. The model toy manufacturer Majorette has been dedicated to WRC rallying for many years and has released numerous models since the 2000s. Among them is Breen's C3 WRC from 2018, which is available in our shop as well.