13-Year-Old Rivaan Is India’s Next Big Prospect in Motorsport

Chennai: At just 13, Rivaan Dev Preetham is already being spoken of as one of Indian motorsport’s brightest prospects. The Chennai boy, son of seven-time national motorcycle racing champion Preetham Dev Moses, underlined why he is regarded as a future star with a commanding display in the opening round of the Meco FMSCI National Karting Championship at the CoASTT Kartmania in Coimbatore.

Making his debut in the highly competitive Junior Max category — with a grid of 23 karts — after graduating from the Mini class, Rivaan was unstoppable throughout the weekend. He topped qualifying, won both heats, dominated the pre-final by almost four seconds over his nearest rival, and then capped it off by winning the final despite an incident-filled race that saw multiple crashes.

As three ambulances rushed onto the track, medics attended to the drivers while marshals worked swiftly to clear the debris. A tense silence descended over the circuit as the remaining drivers returned to the pit lane under the red flag. When racing resumed, Rivaan kept his composure, producing a mature and controlled drive to take the chequered flag.

It was the perfect start to a new season in a career that has already been filled with success. Rivaan has won the national karting title in each of the last three seasons — Micro Max in 2023 and 2024 and Mini Max in 2025. He has also represented India at the prestigious Rotax World Finals, earning an impressive top-10 finish in Bahrain.

His performances on the international stage caught the attention of Minardi Management, the Italian outfit renowned for guiding young drivers towards professional racing careers through the Formula ladder. The roadmap is now clear for Rivaan. “Once he graduates from karting, he will move to Europe to pursue Formula 4 and then slowly move up the ladder. We are expecting the transition to be seamless as he has already shown his potential at a World karting event. The association with Minardi will be of great help,” said his father, Preetham.

During the national championship, Rivaan is mentored by former Formula 2 driver and multiple-time national karting champion Armaan Ebrahim, another key figure in his development. Armaan’s father, Akbar Ebrahim, president of the FIA Karting Commission, believes Rivaan leads a promising generation of Indian racers.

“Rivaan is an outstanding talent, just like how his father Preetham was during his bike racing days. Preetham is also determined to see his son move up to the next level. Along with Rivaan, young talents such as Rehan Khan, Arshi Gupta and Rudrapratap Singh Shekhawat have it in them to make a successful career in motorsport,” said Akbar.

Preetham built his reputation as one of India’s finest motorcycle racers, winning seven national titles. Yet, despite his own success on two wheels, he chose a different path for his son. “My father feels biking is too dangerous for me and there is more risk involved. I sat in a kart for the first time when I was eight, but now I don't remember how I felt. But I think I slowly started liking it,” said Rivaan, who spends much of his spare time in simulation racing.

For someone who circles the same track lap after lap, does karting ever become monotonous? “No, not at all. I keep checking my lap time and how to improve on it. I also keep a tab on who’s following me closely by looking behind. A momentary lapse in concentration is enough to let my rival go past, so I focus as much as possible,” he said.

Behind Rivaan’s rapid rise is a demanding training routine. For the past couple of years, he has been pursuing open schooling to accommodate his racing commitments. Every day includes around three to four hours in the gym, with particular emphasis on strengthening his neck and core muscles under noted fitness trainer Ramji Srinivasan, who has worked with leading cricketers, tennis players and racing drivers.

Preetham says physical conditioning is as important as driving ability. “Even in karting, these kids experience G-forces while cornering. Apart from that, if you're not fit, you will not be able to focus for a longer period. So it's important to train every day. Improving your reflexes is important. The maximum speed of these karts is around 125 kmph," he said.

While Preetham oversees every aspect of Rivaan’s career planning, his mother Ashrita Keshav travels with him to international races and manages his social media presence, making motorsport a true family pursuit.