Chennai: Indian motorsport fraternity is mourning the death of a budding bike racer from Bengaluru, Syed Irfan, who succumbed to injuries after he crashed his vehicle into the barrier during a practice session ahead of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Drag Racing Championship at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on Thursday.
Irfan, who celebrated his 27th birthday the day before the accident, was one of the participants of the weekend’s drag racing event, a 400-metre straight line blast. After crossing the finish-line during a practice, Irfan reportedly did not slow his Yamaha 135 bike and rammed into the safety barrier known as armco.
According to J. Balamurugan, the event organiser who also represents India in the FIA Drag Racing commission, Irfan was given trauma care immediately and rushed to the hospital.
“He did not suffer any head injury as he was wearing helmet as per safety requirements. He suffered injury to abdomen and wrist,” he said. The Federation is yet to send out a statement explaining whether the organisers Spitfire Motorsports and Speedway Motorsports (Hyderabad) had necessary safety measures in place.
