According to a police investigator, the car went off the gravel road and into a flooded river. First responders pronounced both of them dead at the scene. MotorSport New Zealand made it official that Horan was behind the wheel of the car when it crashed.
“The event took place on Arcadia Road in Paparoa which was closed to the public for the duration of the event under the authority of the local Road Controlling Authority,” a statement from MotorSport said.“It is too early in the investigation to comment on what the main contributing factors to the crash were, however, it does not seem as though the road was in a detrimental or unsafe condition.”
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends of these two competitors and everyone involved with the Arcadia Road Rallysprint,” said Wayne Christie, president of Motorsport New Zealand.