javier romagosa
We reproduce below the note from the Hortaclàssics club about the fateful accident. From the newsroom we want to convey our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.
Last Saturday the Valencian fans of the historical and collector's vehicle were startled when the involvement of several partners and friends of the club HortaClassics in a terrible traffic accident that took place the day before, Friday the 5th, in France.
As reported by the France3-Regions newspaper, at 5.50 am on that Friday, at kilometer 109 of the A10 motorway, near Meung su Loire, the Citroën GS in which the four fans from Valencia were traveling suffered a puncture that caused the overturning and subsequent fire of the vehicle. As a result of it Juan Díaz and Miguel Ángel Gracia passed away.
The other occupants, Fernando Rodríguez and José Muñoz, suffered serious injuries that required their transfer to hospitals in Tours and Paris, respectively. His prognosis, according to medical sources, is serious. A tragedy in the case of friends who were in the prime of life, in full personal and professional maturity.
Juan Díaz, founding partner
Well known within the world of the Valencian historical and collectible vehicle, Juan Díaz (1973), an experienced mechanic, will be remembered for his tremendous personality and great generosity that led him to help any friend who came to him to solve a mechanical problem in his warehouse-workshop in Villarreal, where he kept his particular collection of "Cowbells", affectionate nickname with which he called his beloved cars ...
We will also remember him for his extensive knowledge of automobile history, especially Italian and French; He kept exotic vehicles of such interesting brands as Cadillac, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Citroën that he was recovering little by little.
He stood out for his wisdom about makes, models, bodybuilders and stories, often unknown to us. Sharing a table and after-dinner was a guarantee of learning new things and enjoying a pleasant conversation; As a very active participant in social networks, he liked to generate controversy and squeeze our knowledge to reach his level. He was certainly a man who appreciated them.
His great hobby led him to join the group of friends who almost ten years ago founded the HortaClàssics club. As Xavi Grau remembered,
[su_quote] “He was the founder of the club and a great promoter of the less formal but more human part of this group of friends. Hence its importance in the club's trajectory. ”[/ Su_quote]
Despite residing far from Valencia, he liked to share Wednesday dinners with friends from the club and the informal lunches that are held, as well as participate in the many organized activities; We will remember him for his selfless collaboration so that the HortaClàssics stands at the Retro Auto & Moto Valencia fair were the best of it.
Nor was it unusual for him to join expeditions with a friend whose objective was to bring an interesting car to Valencia; or to participate as an extra in a movie at the wheel of an old car ...
His passion for Citroën allowed him to meet great friends. Among them were those who accompanied him on the trip they undertook at the end of last week to Paris: Fernando Rodríguez, also a beloved member of the Valencian club; and José Muñoz and Miguel Ángel Gracia, integrated in the Citroën GS Club. With them, and many others, he traveled many kilometers to enjoy his love of classics throughout Spain and France, a country that all of them knew well having attended in previous years the international concentrations dedicated to Citroën held in the Pyrenees, or the prestigious Retromobile salon.
It was also not strange to see him happy with other groups of friends, such as the members of the group Non-Genuine Alphas who visited Valencia a few months ago.
[su_note note_color = »# f4f4f4 ″]
Much encouragement!
In the tragic accident, the life of friend Miguel Ángel was also cut off, who leaves a wife and three children in Zaragoza. For his part, Fernando has suffered serious burns and is admitted with a serious prognosis in a military hospital in Tours; José is being treated, with a similarly dire prognosis, in a hospital in Paris.
From HortaClàssics we want to express our deep pain and transmit to Juan's families - especially his brother Fran "Biscu" - and Miguel Ángel our condolences for this irreparable loss. We also want to encourage Fernando and José to fight to recover from their injuries and return to their families and friends who are waiting for them.
As a sign of mourning, HortaClàssics cancels the activities scheduled for the month of June, including the XNUMXst Clàssics Tour to the Valencian Community, which is temporarily postponed. Goodbye friends. We will never forget you.
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