Author: Barkha Roy
The FIA and the WRC have unanimously decided to retire the number 42 worn by Hyundai driver Chris Breen, who tragically died from injuries sustained in an accident last Thursday while preparing for this weekend’s WRC round in Croatia.
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It follows a similar action taken by the WRC after Ken Block passed away earlier this year, which led to the retirement of the American’s number 43. Since the death of German junior co-driver Joerg Bastuck on the 2006 Catalunya Rally, Breen is the first fatality in the world championship.
Breen chose the number 42 when he signed for Hyundai as a part-time driver in 2019 and kept it during his only full-time season with M-Sport the following year, before returning to Hyundai to share the team’s third car for 2023.
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The announcement that Hyundai will compete in Croatia this week with a reduced entry of two cars due to Breen’s death comes after a joint decision by the WRC and the FIA to retire the number 42 for the remainder of the year.
Hyundai made its choice after speaking to the families of Breen and his co-driver James Fulton, who survived the crash. Hyundai has confirmed that it will pay tribute to the driver by equipping the cars of Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi with a unique livery featuring the Irish tricolours during the Croatian Rally in Zagreb.
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Breen was taking part in a pre-tournament competition in Croatia before the most recent round of the world championships. On Thursday, his car is believed to have gone off the road and hit a lamppost.
Breen’s death was announced by Hyundai Motorsport in a statement, which said the company was “deeply saddened to confirm that driver Craig Breen lost his life today following an accident during the pre-event test for the Croatia Rally”.
Breen began his career in karting and is the son of a former Irish rally champion. He was a frequent podium finisher in the World Rally Championship and won several rally titles at different levels of national and international competition. His co-driver, Gareth Roberts, died in an accident involving him in an Italian rally in 2012.