Akio Toyoda comment for Croatia Rally
Just before the Croatia Rally, we lost a driver who was our strong rival and also a precious friend of ours. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Craig Breen, his family and the Hyundai Motorsport team.
I think all his fellow drivers and co-drivers competed thinking of him this weekend. In such a weekend it was great that Scott, who used to be Craig’s co-driver, stood on the top of the podium. Scott, congratulations.
I thank Elfyn for letting Craig see Scott’s smile. And it was also Elfyn’s first win in a long time. Congratulations, Elfyn! I think he finally found the last piece that he has been looking for. I was really happy to see his smile. I heard that Craig often talked about the importance of enjoying driving, and I believe Elfyn showed that great smile because he truly enjoyed driving this weekend.
For those of us who love rally and who always try to enjoy driving, his accident was a huge shock and a tragic incident. We must come up with and implement all the measures we can so that such a sad accident won’t happen again in the future.
The sounds, smells, and power of running cars, the emotions involving drivers and co-drivers. I feel rallying is a sport that moves people. We hope to continue to deliver such excitement from the actual field of motorsport, and for that we will continue our ever-better car making.
Akio Toyoda
Chairman, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team