The death of the 18-year-old MP Motorsport driver was announced by FRECA, two and a half hours after the second of the two single-seater races on the bill of the Spa 24 Hours round of the GT World Endurance Challenge ended with a red flag.
No details of the accident were revealed by FRECA in the short statement.
The race, round eight of the 2023 series, was stopped on what should have been the final lap of a race held in wet and worsening conditions.
A multi-car accident was triggered when Tim Tramnitz, who was running second, lost control of his Tatuus-Renault FR-19 one-make single-seater at the top of Raidillon immediately after the safety car was called in ahead of the final lap.
Van ’t Hoff appeared to lose control of his car in the chaos of the first accident, and was hit at high speed by a rival car while stopped in the middle of the straight.
There was more contact further down the pack behind Tramnitz in which van ’t Hoff was involved.
Adam Fitzgerald, who was also involved in the incident, is in a stable condition in hospital after the incident according to his team Race Performance Motorsport.
Van ’t Hoff started car racing in the Formula 4 UAE Championship in 2021 and went on to win Spanish F4 title the same year with MP.
He contested the majority of last year’s FRECA series with the Dutch team, scoring his only podium at Barcelona in October.
His best result this year was a seventh position on the opening weekend of the series at Imola in April.
The second race at Spa was won by Prema driver Andrea Antonelli, while Tramnitz was classified second on count back.
FRECA and the Automobile Club d’Italia that sanctions the series, the circuit at Spa, and the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and Stephane Ratel Organisation, which jointly organise the Spa 24 Hours, all expressed their condolences to the van ’t Hoff’s family, team and friends.
Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen gave his own tribute on Twitter: "Extremely sad to hear the news about Dilano today.. I want to send my condolences to Dilano’s family and loved ones. Rest in peace."
