Driver killed in horror crash

A HORRIFIC crash during the Rallysprint San Bar‐tolomé de Pinares in the Spanish province of Avila resulted in the death of rally driver David López Tomico.

The incident occurred on Saturday, April 22, while he was competing in a round of the Castilla and León Rallysprint Championship.

Tomico and his co‐driver Natalia Rios Diaz were on the first downhill section of the course between San Bartolomé de Pinares and the Port of El Boquerón when tragedy struck at around 3.15pm. Their Fiat Abarth Grande Punto left the road at high speed and subsequently rolled about 50 metres down a steep ravine.

Diaz was rescued from the wreckage by firefight‐ers who had been de ‐ployed to the scene and transferred to a hospital for treatment. Sadly, they were unable to save the life of the driver. The race was abandoned for the rest of the day by its or‐ganisers as a mark of re‐spect to Tomico, as re ‐ported by a news source .

The deceased driver’s team, Vallejo Racing, posted a poignant tribute to him on Twitter. It read: “Again, this sport hit us where it hurts the most. Vallejo Racing is in mourning because we have lost one of our own: David López Tomico, a passionate lover of mo‐torsports, a leader in his work and an example of perseverance and love for his people.”

It continued: “He joined the team in 2022 and his encouragement and strength were essen‐tial for the Dakar 2023 project to come to fruition. Today we not only lose a mechanic or a member of the team, but a real friend is gone. David, your strength will always be with us.”