An 18-year-old race car driver tragically died on Saturday morning during a race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
The Dutch driver, Dilano Van t’Hoff, was confirmed dead by the organisers of the 24 Hours of Spa endurance race just prior to 1pm.
The fatal incident occurred on the final lap of the race, around 10 am. A multiple car collision took place on the straight right before Les Combes.
Van t’Hoff’s single-seater hit the barrier at speeds exceeding 200 km/h and ended up sideways across the track. One of the other racers was unable to avoid him and struck his car from the side.
A day of tragic similarities
This accident bears striking similarity to the circumstances of the fatal crash of French driver Anthoine Hubert, which occurred just 200 metres away during a Formula 2 race at the Belgian Grand Prix on 31 August 2019.
Van t’Hoff, originally from Dordrecht, had previously clinched the Spain’s Formula 4 championship in 2020. Having finished seventeenth in last year’s Formula Renault Regionale by Alpine championship, he was in his second season with the MP Motorsport team this year.
A moment of silence will be observed on the starting grid of the Spa 24 Hour Race at 4.30 pm on Saturday afternoon in honour of the young driver.
