Italian rally driver Matteo Doretto dies aged 21 after crash in testing in Poland

By Canadian Press on June 12, 2025.

ROME (AP) — Italian rally driver Matteo Doretto has died in an accident while testing his car in Poland, the European Rally Championship says.

Doretto was conducting a private test session on Wednesday morning for the upcoming Rally Poland “when he lost his life in an accident,” the ERC said in a statement late Wednesday. It added that co-driver Samuele Pellegrino was unhurt.

The Automobile Club of Italy said Doretto hit a tree while testing his Peugeot 208 car in northeastern Poland.

The 21-year-old Doretto was the Italian junior champion last year and was in his first season in the ERC. He was fourth in the junior standings.

“With potential in abundance, Matteo was polite, engaging but, above all, modest,” the ERC said.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The Associated Press

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