Tragedy struck the Indian racing community on January 8 when veteran auto racer KE Kumar lost his life in a collision at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai. Kumar, who was 59 years old, was participating in the second round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship when he was involved in a crash with another vehicle during a saloon car race.
Eyewitnesses say that Kumar’s vehicle skidded off the track and struck a fence before flipping onto its roof. Despite the efforts of the medical crew at the race, Kumar was unable to recover from his injuries and passed away after being transported to the hospital.
The crash that led to the death of veteran racer K.E. Kumar at the Madras International Circuit pic.twitter.com/jht1ysdzEv
— Santhosh Kumar (@giffy6ty) January 8, 2023
The racing community is in mourning following the loss of Kumar, who was a beloved member of the MMSC and a highly respected racer. Vicky Chandok, chairman of the MMSC FMSCI National Car Racing Championship, described the incident as the “most terrible situation” and offered his condolences to Kumar’s family on behalf of the entire fraternity.
In the wake of Kumar’s death, the MMSC and the national regulatory body of the sport, FMSCI, have announced that they will be conducting an investigation into the incident. In the meantime, the remainder of the day’s events at the Madras International Circuit have been cancelled out of respect for Kumar.
