DUP praise tragic Irish rally star Craig Breen and say his death is a ‘devastating’ blow

The Waterford native was killed in a test circuit crash in Croatia today, after his car slammed into a pole; his co-driver James Fulton escaped relatively unscathed.

DUP sports spokesman Stephen Dunne said it was “truly devastating news” and voiced his condolences to his loved-ones.

“Craig was the top Irish rally driver today, competing on the World Rally Championship at the very highest level and had many fans in Northern Ireland and across the world,” he said.

"Craig was a fantastic ambassador for motorsport and his love of rallying was so evident throughout his career, and competed many times on local events like the Circuit of Ireland and Ulster Rally over many years.

“Craig was also an incredibly passionate supporter of getting a World Rally Championship event back to these shores and it would be a fitting tribute to him, if a local event could be staged here once again.

“We have a very rich and proud legacy in rallying across Northern Ireland, and thousand of fans will be very shocked and saddened at this terrible news today.”

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