WATCH: Dutch racer Dilano Van’t Hoff, 18, dies in heart-wrenching multi-car crash at Spa due to heavy rain
Dutch racer Dilano Van't Hoff has passed away in a tragic accident at the formidable Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
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History repeated itself at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps as yet another racer lost his life amidst the rolling hills of the Belgian countryside. While F1 fans are still recovering from the unfortunate death of Ferrari hopeful Anthoine Hubert who succumbed to his injuries sustained at a multi-car-crash at the F2 Belgian GP in 2019, news has arrived of the untimely demise of another driver. This time, it is 18-year-old Dilano Van’t Hoff who got fatally injured at the Formula Regional European Championship race in Spa.
It was a dreary, rainy day at Spa-Francorchamps when the audience watched with their eyes peeled as the Formula 2 cars raced in the impossible conditions. At that time, 2018 GP3 series Champion Anthoine Hubert, who was charging after opponent Ralph Boschung, suddenly lost sight of the car in front of him and hit the right rear wheel of Boschung’s car and lost control.
As Hubert’s car veered off sideways, Juan Manuel Correa hit him and the multi-car-crash caused Anthoine Hubert to lose his life under a tremendous gravitational force of 82g. And as history repeats itself, another race has fallen prey to a similar incident at the same racetrack. 2021 F4 Spanish Championship winner Dilano Van’t Hoff hails from the same country as the current F1 Champion Max Verstappen. The MP Motorsport racer passed away after being involved in a multi-car crash during Round 8 of the FRECA race in Belgium.
Dilano Van’t Hoff’s demise could be avoided with a timely red flag from the FIA
The Spa-Francorchamps circuit has claimed the lives of many racers including several World Endurance Championship racers and even some F1 drivers from the 1960s. The circuit’s famous corner, Raidillon, is infamous for causing fatalities. But Dilano Van’t Hoff managed to swerve his racecar past the danger zone to go to the Kemmel straight.
There, the wet track allowed for a chain of car crashes involving Tim Tramnitz, Hadrien David, Enzo Scionti, and Joshua Dufek. This ultimately led to Van’t Hoff’s death. But the heavy rain conditions called for a red flag which was never implemented by the FIA. Had there been a red flag, the racing would have paused and Van’t Hoff might have survived today.
Fans have claimed that the incident leading to Dilano Van’t Hoff’s death is reminiscent of Antoine Hubert’s demise. Hubert was extremely close to Charles Leclerc who dedicated his maiden F1 race win at the Belgian GP to the late F2 driver. These deaths only go to establish the fact that racing is one of the most dangerous sports in the world, and each incident spreads a shroud of sadness over the entire motorsports community.
[FirstSportz sends prayers and condolences to Dilano Van’t Hoff’s family and all the others who have been affected by the death of the young racing star. RIP Dilan.]
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)