A heart attack of the driver, probable cause of the tragedy of the Tineo Rally

The desolation spread throughout the organization of the test and the public that followed the development of the rally. At the Tineo fairgrounds, where everyone met after the accident, no one could explain what had happened. Many wondered how something like this could have happened. On paper it was a “simple” area to compete. “Something else had to happen, otherwise it doesn’t make sense,” they repeated.

Both deceased were very loved within the world of motorsports. Julio César Castrillo had just returned to the carts after buying his car from the veteran Basque driver Roland Holke after several years of hiatus. Born in Fuejo, a town in Grado, he spent his entire childhood there, but later he spent his entire life in Oviedo. The pilot who died yesterday in the Tiné rally is the brother of Natividad Castrillo, well known in the Moscona town since she was a PP councilor in the Grado town hall. Years ago, Castrillo ran two bars, the Xaréu, in Trubia, and the Rally bar, in the Oviedo neighborhood of Vallobín. Resident in Oviedo, he also dedicated himself to transporting trucks and buying and selling used cars.

Francisco Javier Álvarez, the deceased co-driver, also had extensive experience in the world of racing. Proof of his expertise is that he was part of the official Peugeot team in the Spanish championship after winning the Desafío Peugeot with Roberto Solís in 1999, and competed with other relevant Asturian drivers such as Alberto Hevia, Ángel Paniceres and Jonathan Pérez.

Francisco Javier Álvarez, a very familiar man, as evidenced by the fact that halfway through the competition he had called his wife, who is a Civil Guard agent at the Rubín barracks, to inquire about the result of the game that his eldest son was playing, who was playing in Laviana. The father of the Oviedo co-pilot who died yesterday in Tineo is a well-known and loved person in the Oviedo neighborhoods of Vallobín and La Argañosa. The father and son were dedicated to organizing events for the Rural Fund.

At 7:00 p.m. in Tineo Town Hall Square there was a minute of silence in memory of the two deceased, two people highly appreciated in the Asturian motor world. All the pilots, members of the organization and Civil Protection and hundreds of fans showed their respect for their deceased companions. The minute ended with loud applause and several of the attendees in tears, broken by pain. A young man even fainted and had to be attended to by members of Civil Protection who were present at the time. “It’s a huge stick, it’s a very complicated moment,” he said with a broken voice.

Carlos Márquez, president of the Asturian Automobile Federation, assured that he was a “personal friend of both of them” and that both had “a lot of experience”. He explained that, after the impact against a tree, “nothing could be done” to save their lives. The president of the Federation wanted to send “a big hug to family and friends” and acknowledged that this type of accident is something that sometimes cannot be avoided: “Sometimes it happens, even if we don’t want it to happen.”

The faces at the end of the tribute were a symptom of the drama that invaded the town of Tineo yesterday. “A day that was a holiday has ended with a tragedy that leaves us all devastated,” said José Ramón Feito Lorences, mayor of Tineo, who wanted to convey his condolences to the relatives of the victims. “It’s a black episode in the history of the rally, it’s a day of mourning for everyone,” he added.

“We are sunk. I just lost half a heart.” This is how Ángel Paniceres expressed himself, who had raced with Francisco Javier Álvarez as co-pilot. He received the news as soon as he got off a plane in Madrid from Cyprus, and he couldn’t stop crying. His “soul friend” would no longer give him a smile. “He had a rally jug on his back,” said the one who was his sports battle partner between 2015 and 2019.

Paniceres thus remembered his friend Javi, with whom he used to meet every week: “He was pure affection, close, smiling and simple. In short, people who contribute to you.” “We don’t believe it or we don’t want to believe it,” he repeated. As soon as he saw the photos, he knew that they had no escape: “Together we got hit a lot, but none like that.”

Adrián Barbón, president of the Principality, also wanted to express his pain upon learning of the accident. “Very saddened by the news of the death of Julio César Castrillo and his co-pilot, Francisco Javier Álvarez. My deepest condolences go to their families and friends,” said the head of the Asturian government. Berta Piñán, Minister of Culture and Sports, joined his words. “It is a tragic day for all Asturian sports; the entire regional motoring family is shocked,” she said. The mayor of Oviedo, Alfredo Canteli, also expressed his “consternation” over the tragedy that took place yesterday afternoon in the Tiné council. The driver from Oviedo Fernando Alonso also wanted to show his condolences: “How sad for the entire engine family to know what happened at the Villa de Tineo Rally. My condolences and all my love to the families of Julio César Castrillo and Francisco Javier Álvarez” he wrote on his social networks.

At the close of this edition, the date of the funeral is unknown, since the bodies, which took hours to be removed, were sent to the Institute of Legal Medicine of La Coredoria, to try to clarify the cause of death.

The organization, the Tineo Auto Club team, upon confirming the death of the two participants, suspended the race in the sixth timed session of the eight that the competition had. The winner was Manuel Mora (Subaru Impreza), followed by Alberto Ordóñez (Fabia R5) and completing the podium Óscar Palacio (Fiesta R5).

The Castrillo and Álvarez accident puts an end to a tragic week in the motor world. Three days ago the driver Craig Breen suffered a fatal accident while training in Poland with a view to the Croatian rally. The last tragedy of this type on Asturian roads dates from September 2021. Jaime Gil and Diego Calvo, both from Cantabria, lost their lives in an accident while competing in the Llanes rally. The pilot lost control of the vehicle in the Fito drop zone and died instantly.

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