The team principal of Hyundai Motorsport, Cyril Abiteboul, says that his team is aiming to stay consistent and to deliver good results in memory of Craig Breen and admits that they are still feeling his loss.
Craig Breen died in a testing accident on Thursday 13 April when he was driving the i20N Rally1 for his preparations for Croatia Rally. The fatal crash happened when he went off the road and hit a wooden pole with the front left of his car which had a result to hit him on the head. Croatia Rally was a very strange event for all the fans and the people who involve to WRC as Breen passed away very suddenly and was very young. James Fulton, Breen's co-driver, confirmed recently that he will continue his racing programme with Kris Meeke for Portuguese championship as it was expected that he and Breen would drive the Hyundai i20N Rally2 this year. Last but not least, the Alzenau-based team has not confirmed yet who will replace Breen for the rest of 2023 as Dani Sordo has signed a partial contract with the Koreans this season and it was supposed that he would share the third car with the Irishman.
"There is no denying that this is still incredibly hard for our team, and that won’t change for some time", Abiteboul said.
"We’ve had some time to process our emotions, but we are still feeling the loss of Craig.
"Our focus in Croatia was to compete in his memory, and now we want to honour him by fighting consistently at the front.
"Portugal will kick-off a run of gravel events, where we believe we can be strong.
"We know what is possible from Mexico; Thierry and Martijn secured a superb second place, and Esapekka and Janne’s were on strong form to lead the rally in only their third event with the team, showcasing their speed and potential.
"With the right preparation and determination I believe we can demonstrate that same performance again next weekend.
"There is still a great sadness among us as we head into Rally de Portugal, and there will be times where Craig’s passing will hit us hard, but I think it’s important we remember to enjoy it, for him".
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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