WRC 2023

[Davytog]

Not sure that there is much you can do for flying posts. Was there not a young lad from Fermanagh way killed in similar circumstances involving a fence?

 

[cauld1]

Not sure that there is much you can do for flying posts. Was there not a young lad from Fermanagh way killed in similar circumstances involving a fence?

Yep, Timmy Cathcart on the Ulster a few years back.

Agreed that there's not much can be done, and I'd have thought it's very unlikely to have any impact on the Rally 1 cars.

 

[FM155]

Yep, not much could be done there unfortunately, hope the Rally1 doors are steel skinned too, IIRC all stage cars have to have steel doors.

 

[salster]

you think of some of the massive shunts that happen in wrc and this looks so very tame but with fatal consequences. awful

 

[gpaevo]

Nothing will stop foreign objects (eg Armco, poles, tree limbs etc) breaching door skins, bulkhead or glass.

Just look at all the near misses on tarmac rallies over the years where armco has sliced the car and stopped behind the crew, just missing their bodies. Take Kubica, he got off lightly.

Even my own experience, we had an off in Grizedale years ago and a fence pole came through the screen.

 

[Graham]

Always with a smile that could light up a continent, Craig Breen's smile shone bright across the globe when he won the Circuit of Ireland Rally for the first time in 2015. His tears of joy then must be remembered, amidst tears of sadness at such tragic news today.

 

[Gambit]

thats terrible news devastated - always had a smile on his face and to me seemed the type of guy who was genuinely in it for the love of it

 

[gpaevo]

Car is completely intact, no shell damage that I can see from the pics. Looks like it's just been parked up on the side of the road.

Looks like a very very unfortunate cause than lead to his fatal injury

 

[DC.]

He’s definitely had bigger accidents by the looks of it.

Hopefully Hyundai and everyone else in the sport can learn something from this and make them safer.

Still can’t believe it.

 

[cauld1]

Unfortunately, it's an accident that's a bit of a freak one but does happen. Aside from removing every pole and fence on a stage I'd doubt there's much could be done to avoid it.

 

[ka88]

Cruel world, died too young

Thoughts are with his family

 

[FM155]

Watching Croatia last year, I saw quite a bit of post and rail fencing (probably because of the Tim Cathcart accident and Kubica) and was a bit surprised that nobody had assessed the risk as big enough to do something.

 

[gpaevo]

Watching Croatia last year, I saw quite a bit of post and rail fencing (probably because of the Tim Cathcart accident and Kubica) and was a bit surprised that nobody had assessed the risk as big enough to do something.

You can't sanitise rallying, same as road racing.

 

[FM155]

I know that, it would be impossible to eliminate all risks, but that type of fencing has been involved in quite a few fatal accidents over the years. Maybe avoid stretches with it or put netting in front of it to avoid a rail spearing out. Doesn't hurt to avoid obvious risks, nobody wants to see people killed at a sporting event if possible.

 

[DC.]

This is how I’ll remember him. What passion he had for the sport.

 

[cauld1]

I know that, it would be impossible to eliminate all risks, but that type of fencing has been involved in quite a few fatal accidents over the years. Maybe avoid stretches with it or put netting in front of it to avoid a rail spearing out. Doesn't hurt to avoid obvious risks, nobody wants to see people killed at a sporting event if possible.

It's a whole other discussion, but maybe make people put fencing at the roadside up correctly for a start.

Where do you stop with obvious risks though, remove trees from stages too?

 

[FM155]

Probably not the right time to be talking about this really. Removing trees, no, that would be silly, they are single objects, even if there are a few of them, you can aim for the gap, which I've done a few times on events. The rails are the problem by and large.

 

[WSK]

Terrible news, he lived for the sport and was probably one of the best ambassadors of it.

Incredible talent and gone too soon!

 

[Reno_LV]

This one has hit hard. We always followed him and Meeke, and he always had time to stop and chat to us and never missed a banter. He was a true rally embassador and just heart breaking tragedy.

 

[Graham]

If you've not yet shed a tear, then these two pieces are sure to trigger a flood. So, so sad.

 

[DC.]

and this one. In a MkII Escort with his mate, no notes, chatting away yet setting top times in the modified class.


Molls Gap in the 6R4

 

[AidanMcG]

FYI - for anyone wanting to watch the funeral

Craig Breen

boxcast.tv

 

[Graham]

Tribute livery for this weekend.

Josh and John have withdrawn their WRC2 entry. All other Motorsport Ireland entries will compete. Rowan has been part of Craig's gravel crew for a long time so this crew will have been very close.

 

[gpaevo]

They better win the rally, for Craig

 

[DC.]