- The teenager suffered fatal head injuries following a crash as he entered turn one
A big motorcycle racing event in India was cancelled with immediate effect following the tragic death of a 13-year-old competitor.
Copparam Shreyas Hareesh, 13, had qualified in pole position for the Rookie race on Saturday, but suffered fatal head injuries following a crash as he entered turn one.
The race was duly red-flagged, with the youngster rushed to a nearby hospital in a trauma care ambulance that had been positioned on the track.
And according to The Hindu, he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. His dad, Copparam Hareesh, was at his bedside when the sad news was confirmed.
As a result, the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2023 was scrapped at the Madras International Circuit.
It’s the second death to occur at the track this year, with 59-year-old K.E. Kumar losing his life following another racing accident in the Saloon Car event in January.
In a released statement, MMSC president Ajit Thomas said: ‘It is tragic to have lost a rider so young and talented. Shreyas, who was making waves with his prodigious racing talent, was provided medical assistance on the spot immediately after the incident and taken to the hospital.
‘Under the circumstances, we have decided to cancel this weekend’s programme. The MMSC offers heartfelt condolences, and our thoughts are with his family.’
FMSCI President Akbar Ebrahim added: ‘It is a very sad and unfortunate day. This boy was very close to us. As for the federation, once all the reports come, as per our Standard Operating Procedures, we will have a detailed investigation.’
Shreyas, who attended Kensri School in Bengaluru, had been tipped as a future motorsport star. He’s already notched up a string of national wins, and was flourishing in the Rookie category of the Petronas TVS One-Make Championship this year.
He had already won the inaugural FIM MiniGP India title, leading many to tout him as a future MotoGP star.
And this month, he was due to represent team CRA Motorsports in the 250cc category in the MSBK Championship 2023 in Malaysia.
