Nathalie Maillet, the chief executive officer of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps which hosted the final stages of Ypres Rally on Sunday, is confirmed to have died during the rally weekend.
Police were called to Maillet’s home on Saturday night. Three casualties were found including Maillet. Her death was confirmed by the circuit office after the rally’s completion.
Maillet raced in the Volkswagen Beetle-based Fun Cup and moved into working in architecture before becoming involved in the organization of motorsport events and then becoming the CEO of Spa in June 2016.
Melchior Wathelet, chairman of the circuit’s board of directors, said: “My thoughts are with Nathalie’s family, her parents, her loved ones and her teams. I know how much this news will upset our teams and I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the entire circuit team on behalf of the entire board.
“Today, we are losing a highly respected lady, a true leader who will be greatly missed. Nathalie had become the face of the circuit, she embodied the passion for racing that we all share.”
During her time at the helm, Spa was worked on expansively with a rallycross track built to host the World Rallycross Championship in 2019, and then a route devised to host the World Rally Championship this weekend. Following recent flooding in the east of Belgium, the circuit and its access roads have also had to be repaired to ensure the venue could still be used.
Spa is set to host World RX again this October, and part of its rallycross course was used as the flying finish of Ypres Rally.
DirtFish’s thoughts are with everyone affected by the tragedy.
