13-year-old bike racer Shreyas Hareesh dies following crash

In a tragic turn of events, a prodigous 13-year-old two-wheeler racing driver from Bengaluru, Shreyas Hareesh, passed away after suffering a crash in the National Motorcycle Racing Championship (NMRC) in Chennai on Saturday.

Shreyas suffered a head injury during his race, according to a press release by the organisers of the race. The Madras Motor Sports Club cancelled the remaining races scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Earlier this year, the sixth-grader created history after he became the first Indian to reach a World Championship final in two-wheel racing after he appeared at the MiniGP World finals in Spain.

Shreyas, also known as 'The Bengaluru Kid' on the circuit, had told The Bridge recently that his next target would be to become the first Indian to race in the MotoGP.

READ | Father's interest, son's passion: Biker Shreyas on track to make it big

Shreyas had earned his big break when his made his NMRC debut in 2021. Back then, the age limit had been reduced from 13 years to 11 years, his age at the time, just so he could participate.

Two years since then, a career which showed dazzling promise has been cut short at that very competition.