- Thursday, May 02, 2024
Shreyas reportedly lost control of his speeding motorcycle while negotiating a turn during the competition and received a serious head injury as his helmet fell off and he was run over by another rider.
By: Shubham Ghosh
HE was seen as a rising star of racing but destiny had a cruel plan for Copparam Shreyas Hareesh as the boy who was in his early teens died in a crash during the third round of the FMSCI-Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit in the southern Indian city of Chennai on Saturday (5), leaving the racing fraternity devastated.
FMSCI stands for Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India.
The news that I wish wasn't true. News that I wish no parents ever receives. Our great little warrior, our nation's pride, our motorsports young hero #shreyashareesh has left us today. May God bless his soul 🙏 Om Shanti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/b69YfKNkLA
— Tejen Dhankhar (@TejenDhankhar) August 5, 2023
Arvind Singh, a race organiser and a former racer, told The Indian Express that Shreyas was the “growing face of Indian motorsport” and had all the potential to represent the country on a global platform.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1688063159385624576/photo/1
Shreyas lost control of his speeding motorcycle while negotiating a turn during the competition. The accident saw his helmet falling off and the boy was run over by another rider from behind, causing him a head injury which led to his instant death.
Born and brought up in the southern city of Bengaluru, Shreyas studied in the city’s Kensri School and turned 13 only last month. Singh said while there are more than 100 young riders aged below 16, Shreyas was a special talent.
“He was good at racing and we always believed that he was born to race,” Singh was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
In his short life, Shreyas won several prizes in India and abroad. His father Hareesh was a great support.
Hareesh had inspired his late son to take up bike riding at a young age. Every Sunday, he used to take Shreyas to Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park to teach him riding a bike. When the boy aspired to become a MotoGP champion, Hareesh left his job at a pharmaceutical company and devoted all time to preparing his son for big stages in the sport.
He took Shreyas wherever racing competitions were held and that gave him great exposure, Singh told The Express.
Former racer Anand Hariharan, who believes Shreyas was a highly talented racer, told the newspaper that he had a bright future but was gone too soon.
Shreyas received a license from FMSCI at the age of 11 to take part in races. He was also given bikes that were designed for his height and was given the opportunity to take part in events but not on public roads. The rules also said that an adult must be with him at the time of training.
“A father lost a son and we lost a great racer. He was preparing to participate in MotoGP 250 CC group B. It is an unfortunate incident and a massive loss for the racing fraternity. He had a license to ride in closed circuit and was a very good racer,” M Srinivas, steward and FMSCI senior scrutineer, was quoted as saying by The Indian Express,
The late racer is the first Indian MiniGP champion and runner-up in the rookie class at the FMSCI-Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship that took place last year.
