Rally co-driver killed in Italy

Apparently the Italians did not learn after Robert Kubica was severely injured in a rally car accident when he hit the end of a guard rail and the steel beam impaled the car.

Welsh rally co-driver Gareth Roberts was killed in a crash during today’s Targo Florio Rally in Sicily, race organizers said.

Roberts, 24, was the navigator in a car being driven by Craig Breen which crashed during the eighth stage of the race. Medical crews attended to Roberts at the scene.

“Despite their best efforts, Gareth Roberts succumbed to his injuries and the remainder of the event has been canceled as a mark of respect," a statement on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge website said. “Craig Breen was unhurt in the accident. No spectators were involved."

Roberts and Breen were in sixth place when the accident took place. They were competing in the event for the first time, organizers said.