13-Year-Old Star Rider Shreyas Hareesh Passes Away In A Crash

Last Saturday I was having a ball of a time at the Madras International Circuit on the Yamaha MT-15. I was riding at the race track after a long gap, and after getting my lines sorted, I was pushing and making sure I was hitting all the apexes. In this process, I did have a few moments, but brushed them aside as something ‘fun’ and such instances happen when adrenaline takes over your body. Little did I know that one week down the line, on the very same track tragedy would strike.

Emerging two-wheeler racer, Shreyas Hareesh tragically passed away while competing in the Round 3 of the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (INMRC). According to our sources, the incident happened as the riders entered the first corner and Shreyas fell off the bike after being nudged by a competitor. And in a tragic incident similar to MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, a rider hit his head which led to his tragic demise. His death comes as a huge shock to the Indian motorsport fraternity as he was an emerging star and possessed so much talent.

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 the rest of this weekend’s programme. The MMSC offers heart-felt condolences and our thoughts are with his family.”

His talent can be gauged from the fact that INMRC reduced the age limit of racing in the TVS RTR Rookie cup from 13 years to 11 years so as to accommodate him. And he went on to win the championship in 2022, winning 7 of the 8 races he competed in. Shreyas had also won the inaugural Indian round of the MiniGP championship and had a very bright future ahead of him. Sadly that wasn’t to be and we at Acko Drive extend our condolences to the family of the young rider. We would also like to reiterate the importance of safety gear and will request our readers to invest in good quality riding gear, wear helmets whenever you ride and please buckle up.

There is also a sentiment that Shreyas was too young to be racing on the track and that the officials shouldn’t allow such youngsters to go racing. Motorsport has always been about risk and reward, racers are built differently, their mindset is much different from the normal junta. Their hunger to win, the spirit to excel is what makes them champions and this mindset needs to be cultivated from a very young age. All the MotoGP champions started riding bikes when they were under 5 years old and were competing in championships under 10 years. So if you want to make it to the international-level of racing one has to start young. What happened with Shreyas is tragic and difficult to express in words, but this is the world of racing, RIP little champ!