Team-BHP - Teenage bike racer Shreyas Hareesh passes away in INMRC crash

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Originally Posted by b16h22 (Post 5600498)

The helmet brand he was wearing was untested for track & race events. There should be proper investigation into why the helmet came off on impact. A good quality track & race helmet should not do that. There should be a significant change in safety regulations to not allow substandard riding gear in the races.

I would assume that any gear worn during sanctioned, National level races would require FIA grading/certification, and anyone not wearing such gear would not be allowed to participate.

Unless you actually have a source with genuine information about the helmet manufacturer and grading, or lack of it (please post proof if you do), there is no reason to post accusations.

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Originally Posted by pranavt (Post 5600603)

The helmet he was using is an Axor Rage. It has basic road certifications such as DOT and ECE. It's not a Snell, Sharp certified helmet. It's certainly not an FIM certified race helmet. You can find the list of helmets certified by FIM here.

http://www.frhp.org/circuit-helmets/...mets-frhphe-01

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Originally Posted by poised2drive (Post 5600046)

Aren't these motor sports, by nature, life threatening which demands total conscious consent from the participant and anyone under 21 is generally not considered to fully understand the implications and as such, his/her consent cannot be validated ?

Motorsports, like most professional sports, require an early start, usually between the ages of 8 and 10. (For example, Max Verstappen (current double Formula One champion) began racing carts at the age of eight.)

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Originally Posted by b16h22 (Post 5600648)

Much appreciated. I went through the technical regulations for 2W Racing and am quoting the relevant bit here (screenshot attached as well)

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3.23 Crash Helmets
Crash helmets of standard design and construction must be used by competitors in all events.
Competitors must ensure that helmets worn are suitable for the type of the event entered. The user must
ensure that the crash helmet is in a serviceable condition, that it fits properly and that is secured properly.
The decision of the scrutineer is final.
Helmets must be of the full-face type and conform to one of the recognized international standards as
mentioned below :
· Europe: ECE 22-05 or ECE 22-06 (Only ‘P’ type)
· Japan: JIS T 8133:2015 (Only Type 2 Full face)
· USA: SNELL M 2010 or SNELL M 2015 or SNELL M2022 D or Snell M2022 R
Sharing of helmets is strictly forbidden.

Teenage bike racer Shreyas Hareesh passes away in INMRC crash-helmets.png

Seems like the typical "chalega" attitude then, since the rules specifically allow a helmet with the "ECE" certification, and FIM homologated helmets are recommended but not required.

Of course, none of this explains how the helmet came off, as has been stated in previous replies.

My sincere condolences to the family; and may they find the strength they'll require to cope with their loss.

I know of another young rider, Sarthak Chavan and have met his dad and uncle a while ago. These kids are extremely talented, focused and are mature beyond their years, juggling their racing careers with their education.

Deepest condolences.

Another news source says:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/indiane...-8879272/lite/

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One of India’s youngest riders to have caught national attention, Shreyas lost control of his bike while negotiating a turn during the race. The bike skidded, causing his helmet to fall off. He was immediately run over by a rider from behind, leading to a head injury that killed him on the spot.

Not clear if the helmet fell off before the impact or after. Either way, a well fastened helmet should not dislodge from the head on impact. The quality of the helmet as well as the fastening technique would be questionable in this case.

A few years back, there was an incident where a rider had a fatal crash wherein his helmet had split open at Kari Race track. It was an MT Axxis, and there was a follow up news of parents suing the manufacturer, the outcome of which is unknown. The article can still be found online. Me at the time wearing the same helmet did some research online and saw a few discussions in some forums where it was stated that they built shells at different locations for Asian and Europen markets for logistics purpose. Strangely, they also had similar models of helmet with same safety certifications, which had different retention systems for EU and Indian Markets. Usually, for helmets, we get the Euro Spec versions which are different to US ones.
Some brands like HJC had helmets made in Vietnam which were sold across USA and India. I may be wrong, but i think a very few manufacturers make separate shells for different countries. I stopped wearing the same when i could afford a new lid.

In this case, a friend at MMRT had stated that the kid's helmet came off and that he was wearing an Axor helmet. From the video i had seen online, the helmet already flew off while the kid was sliding towards the gravel. One can not know whether his helmet was hit before it came off. We may have to wait for the official investigation report to get the full picture of what had happened before confirming the same. Unlike someone pointed out, the chances of it coming off due to erroneous fastening are very slim as it is double checked before a race. End of the day, we lost a hugely talented, promising young kid who might have raced at GP Level .

That being said, my personal opinion is that Indian brands can paste the ECE and DOT and whatnot on their helmets, but at the end of the day, who is going to ensure that they adhere to the so called safety standards? To the best of my knowledge, unlike SMK, which are made in India and exported overseas, these homegrown brands dont sell their helmets in Europe where they have to mandatorily submit the helmet for testing before they go on sale.

So I feel one should take an educated guess on what's safe to wear at a high speed environment like race track and whether they blindly believe the so called "safety certificates" of brands which doesn't sell internationally.
Not everyone can afford a FIM Homologated helmet and FIM Certification is not mandatory for non GP races even outside India. But one can find decent helmets from brands, which are ECE certified, which are also sold internationally

Shreyas laid to rest as racing fraternity pays its last respects

https://www.deccanherald.com/india/k...ects-2-2639226

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Sandhya Jayanthi S leant in with her right ear towards Shreyas Hareesh’s nose with a determined look in her eyes. She was looking at nothing or no one in particular, but she was listening for her 13-year-old son’s next breath. All the while hoping this, the funeral she was wailing at, was but a nightmare.

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Sandhya will never hear Shreyas breathe again, no one will, and this funeral was as real as the body of her son which lay in front of their house in Sahakara Nagar on Monday afternoon. In an effort to find a semblance of closure, she called on on Amit Arora (the race director of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship - the event in which Shreyas succumbed to a gruesome crash on Saturday) and held onto his hands pleadingly, looking for answers.

"Was it the helmet? Was it the helmet? How did this happen?” she shrieked as Arora broke down. With no answers to be had, Sandhya went back to her son, a ear to his nose again.

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All this while, Hareesh Parandhaman - Shreyas’ father - stood still, unwavering. Only the clenching of his jaws or the occasional breakdown gave away that he was in mourning. He was there when the spindly baby was born in his arms in 2010. He was the one who introduced the boy to racing. He was the one who decided to give up his job for the boy to become a great racer. He was the one who convinced the entire family to trust the process and let the boy race.

He was the one who had travelled with Shreyas to every race, including training in Spain recently. He was the one who was instrumental in Shreyas’ evolution from ‘The Bengaluru Kid’ to the most promising racer on the Indian circuit.

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Now, he was here, holding his wife and consoling his inconsolable daughter while holding back his own tears as his boy’s body was moved into a hearse, draped in Tri-colour and to the background score of the National anthem.

All the while, some of the finest racers in the country were in attendance, including 300-odd others, and everyone was still to come to grips with the happenings of the last couple of days.

Sad to see the loss of such a young soul. Must be very hard for the parents to digest and almost irreparable since it was something they willingly got the kid into. While the details of the incident is not reported, what I always fear is the capability of paramedic and emergency response teams here in our country. In countries like Europe, there is tremendous capability in the system to handle such incidents. I have noticed this first hand and that's something which is lacking here. Thats a major miss with any adventure sport or activity where chances of injury is high. So personally I would only attempt these high risk activities where the system is capable of reacting well to any accidents. Can't imagine what the family must be going through.

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Originally Posted by aqualeo2040 (Post 5600010)

The news article mentioned that Shreyas fell from the bike and his helmet came off!
I'm surprised how did that happen with a double d ring lock!
There were other videos on the internet which showed him taking his helmet off and it looked pretty snug.

It is sad, however, I think it is a freak accident rather than generic unsafe practice.

Double D-ring closure is inherently safer than micrometric clasps used commonly, but that safety can easily be compromised. One very common way is the transference of oil or grease from your hands. Even hair oil or any other greasy stuff like moisturisers can cause the webbing to become slick and the closure to become loose during movements, like the jostles of the ride or even your head movement. Once it becomes loose, the D-rings lose their ability to hold the strap securely. D-ring closure depends on the user cinching the straps/webbings tight. If it is loose, it loses its efficacy.

I am not saying that this is what happened here. I am just warning all the users who believe in the inherent safety of D-ring closures that they should check the condition of the straps regularly and should cinch the strap tightly when using it. If you cannot wear it tight for any reason, get a helmet with a micrometric lock.

Condolences to the loved ones and hope to never hear such news again.

My heart melted at seeing such a young kid lose his life. I heard the news in 2023, only saw this thread today.

Although its not consolation, but if anyone knows the kid's parents personally, please treat them more like you would treat a martyr's parents. The kid would've great for India, had he survived, like Sarath Kumar and Rajni K.
Can't imagine the father's pain, he was the one who had this dream for his kid, now he's living an unimaginable nightmare... :'(

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Originally Posted by Bhodrolok (Post 5600008)

Just shows how badly we are doing safety even in motosports in our country! I would not let my kid come anywhere near a car or motorcycle track with our safety standards.

I suppose its not ideal to blame motorsport standards. Just about any racing body can raise standards to level 10, but it will get expensive for racers, and there's just not enough money already, due to a low audience count. An Arai or Nolan helmet worth Rs. 60,000 is not everyone's loose change, in addition to race suits and all. You crash once, and you can't use that helmet again.
Sarath Kumar, the Indian MotoGP star, used to drive a taxi. He wasn't a bllionaire, every little extra money counted for him.

Marco Simoncelli (#58), also died due to similar case. Would you blame MotoGP? These sports are dangerous and safety becomes expensive too.
This is how the situation is. Sad it is.

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Originally Posted by poised2drive (Post 5600046)

This is unbelievably tragic !
And apologies for asking, but how do they allow kids to participate in bike racing events?

Resp. brother, how will a person starting racing at 21 and be a champion by 25?
Of course its legal for kids to race, its on private grounds, not govt. funded roads. Children take permission from parents for any participation including acting, singing, sports at school/college level, boxing matches, wrestling matches, mountain climbing, racing, etc, etc.

Its really how this world is. Nobody sponsors even a 26 year old racer, leave alone 32, even if they're awesome, because sponsors want a 20 year career, not a 5 year one.
Valentino Rossi started at 5. And within 60 miles of his initial location, you can pinpoint homes of many such MotoGP stars who also started small.