The Spa track claimed the life of another cyclist. It was rebuilt after another tragedy.
Dmitry Zakharchenko July 1, 2023, 15:05 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Dylano van ‘t Hoff was just 18 years old and was the sensation in 2021.
Dilano van ‘t Hoff, a Dutch driver, died on the European Regional Formula (FRECA) circuit in Spa-Francorchamps. He was just 18 years old and considered the future hope of the Netherlands in motorsport.
The accident that claimed the life of the racer is one to one similar to the one that claimed the life of Antoine Hubert four years ago during a Formula 2 race. After the death of the Frenchman, Spa-Francorchamps was rebuilt, and the greatest attention was paid to the curve in the exit for which Hubert died.
Now van’t Hoff crashed in the same place.
What happened
The Formula Regional race began on a rain-soaked track. Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most famous circuits on the planet, is not easy on its own, but add to this a slippery surface and minimal visibility due to a veil of spray under the wheels.
The accident occurred at the restart of the penultimate lap. Tim Tramnitz, who was in second place, went around the exit of the Radiolon; most of the drivers managed to get around the German car, but van ‘t Hoff and Enzo Schonti made contact.
The Italian was thrown to the side of the road, but Dilano’s car remained in the trajectory: it was impossible to see it in a blanket of spray, and Adam Fitzgerald plowed into the Dutchman at full speed. Van’t Hoff’s car was literally blown to pieces. The cyclist was evacuated to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save his life.
The incident was a replica of the accident in which Antoine Hubert crashed during a Formula 2 race in 2019. Then, after contact, his car froze in the same way in the trajectory, and Juan Manuel Correa crashed into him at full speed. The blow landed on the rear of the car, which is not designed to absorb such energy. As in the case of van’t Hoff, the car literally fell to pieces…
After that accident, Spa-Francorchamps completely rebuilt and redesigned the launch zones in the Red Water and Radiolon area so that in the event of a mistake, the pilot would fly into a gravel trap and not bounce. track. However, in this case, the chain of events began with a spin from the opposite curb and continued with contact between van ‘t Hoff and Schonti on the straight; it was at that moment that the Dutchman stopped on the track.
It is simply impossible to prevent such events with the configuration of the route. In poor visibility conditions, Fitzgerald had no chance of avoiding a collision. All of this just means that motorsports in general and racing at Spa in particular cannot be absolutely safe…
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Who wasn’t van’t Hoff?
Dilano van ‘t Hoff attracted attention in 2021 – yesterday’s kart driver made a brilliant debut in the “formulas” and confidently became the champion of Spanish Formula 4, winning almost half of the races. For the 2022 season, the driver received a place in the MP Motorsport team in the European Regional Formula, but at Monza, in the first stage of the season, he suffered a shoulder injury.
Van ‘t Hoff continued to perform, but at Imola it became clear that the injury would not go away on its own, and before the weekend in Monaco, Dilano decided to have surgery. In Monte Carlo, the Dutchman performed with difficulty and, as a result, he was forced to miss three stages to recover. It was the right decision: after van ‘t Hoff’s comeback, he took third place in Barcelona and was on the podium for the first time in a new series for him.
One way or another, the 2022 season as a whole was a disappointment against the backdrop of a brilliant Formula 4 debut. This year, van’t Hoff continued his partnership with MP Motorsport, driving in the Asian Regional Formula where he won a podium and continued to compete in Europe.
The current season was not going very well either: in the first three stages, the Dutchman scored only eight points and was ranked 16th in the championship. Dilano desperately wanted to recover and show that despite the injury, he could return to his previous level. But he did not.
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