Rising motorsport star Copparam Shreyas Hareesh dies aged 13 after catastrophic head injury during motorcycle race in India
Rising motorsport star Copparam Shreyas Hareesh dies aged 13 after catastrophic head injury during motorcycle race in India
- The young star slid into the first corner, lost his helmet and was hit from behind
- He was rushed to a local hospital and was pronounced dead soon after
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Copparam Shreyas Hareesh, a 13-year-old rising motorsport star in his native India, passed away on Saturday following a fatal accident during the FMSCI-Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.
Hareesh suffered a catastrophic head injury when he lost control of his bike during a corner at the Madras International Circuit.
He took part in the third lap of that day’s rookie race – one which he qualified on pole position.
At the first corner of the race, Haresh skidded out and his helmet flew off his head. A rider coming from behind then hit him – which was the cause of the injuries.
He was rushed to a local hospital by ambulance and was pronounced dead a short time later. The rest of the race was cancelled.
Copparam Shreyas Hareesh, 13, has died in a motorcycle racing accident in India
Many in the Indian motor racing community mourned the loss of the youngster who was born and raised in Bengaluru.
“It is tragic to have lost such a young and talented rider,” Madras Motor Sports Club president Ajit Thomas said in a statement. Shreyas, who caused a stir with his prodigious racing talent, received medical attention at the scene immediately after the incident and was taken to hospital.
Given the circumstances, we have decided to cancel this weekend’s program. The MMSC offers its sincere condolences and our thoughts are with his family.”
His father – who shared the same name – even went so far as to quit his job at a pharmaceutical company to help his son with sports full-time.
“He was the growing face of Indian motorsport, he had all the potential to be on a global platform. We will miss him,” said Arvind Singh, a former racer and race organizer.
He added, “His father took him wherever there were racing competitions and gave him a lot of fame.
“In 2021 he took part in a race near Sringeri, which I organized. I spent two days with him and mostly he just talked about racing.’
This is the second death this year at the Madras circuit, after veteran racer KE Kumar also succumbed to injuries from an accident during a national auto racing championship in January.