Death by Design

Death is a divisive and emotive subject because of its complexity and profundity. Imagine the trauma it can inflict when a young death happens on a racetrack that leaves everyone with an extreme anxiety, shock, and anguish.

In the last two years of national racing championships, we witnessed two tragic deaths during the races. One was a veteran of the sport with decades of experience under his belt, while the other was a youngster on the cusp of a stellar racing career.??

Maybe for a race car driver, there is no better final resting place than the racetrack itself. ?But dealing with the aftermath of traumatic events is challenging because of the feelings of loss, sadness, distress, and trauma they evoke.?When breaking down these occurrences into its constituent parts, it becomes clear that the racers themselves disregarded safety on both occasions. There are a lot of people who may would get into whataboutery but this is no prudent moment to enter into a debate over it.

In contrast to KE Kumar, whose death was more deeply felt on a personal level, the loss of young Shreyas is tragic for India's whole racing community. He was more talented than many veteran competitors twice his age. Unfortunately, today even death is made to be a marketable commodity, and its manifestations can take many unusual shapes. Nonetheless, we can and should take away valuable lessons from any accident of this type.

In India, the Madras Motor Sports Club, the official hosts, has been the undisputed pioneer of motor racing. The racing community in India wouldn't have been able to get off the ground without the hard work of a determined members of this club. However, this is an earnest plea for stricter enforcement of existing safety measures. ?And there aren’t any better brains that can be trusted for this job than this mecca of Indian motorsports arena.

Equally crucial is the role of governing body FMSCI as many local events under their aegis are being conducted with very inadequate or non-existent infrastructure and competency to operate such events. ?FMSCI as the regulatory body of motorsports in India also needs to pull its weight. It's also important to spread the word that spectators should stick to FMSCI-approved activities only. Communicating and implementing of safety norms is essential.

In India, motor sports have remained stagnant despite widespread interest. This remains a nebulous minority industry since it receives no funding or backing from the government or major corporations. I often get surprised when people call it an elite or niche sports as I wonder as to how many other sports or so-called elite would be able to match levels of competition. Name me any other professional sport where your life literally rests in the palm of your hand each time you play.

The government of India has never been able to capitalise the associated benefits of this sport which can contribute to wide range of growth to diverse range of industries, from tourism, manufacturing, clothing, media, hospitality and many more. Many governments of smaller countries like Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore have been able to create ecosystem that have spurred up their GDPs. It would be unwise to seek a special grant from Indian authorities, but the ministry of sports, trade and commerce can take a baby step making the necessary safety equipment available to motor sports enthusiasts without charging them extortionate customs and tariffs.

Racers need to learn empathy for their competitors because the "show must go on" mentality has conditioned them to solely consider victory and defeat. The accompanying picture shows a distressing scene: a group of racers is involved in an accident, and no one shows the slightest bit of urgency to help the fallen. If empathy isn't emphasized in professional training and daily live, then the winning is useless.

Sponsors and corporations play a key part in the success of these sports, and their contributions should not be underestimated. Many corporations invest millions annually in PR and corporate social responsibility. In spite of the fact that sponsorships are encouraged as part of corporate social responsibility initiatives, many corporations shun the practice out of vanity. There is room for collaboration between FMSCI and sponsors to improve racers' protective gear. Even in the extreme sport of motorcycle racing, numerous advanced safety systems are available, like airbag jackets.

Saddeningly, the issue of player safety, like that of the general public, remains largely neglected in this sport. We would soon be running an awareness campaign , and we strongly urge all interested parties to work together to prevent similar problems in the future. If as a racing fraternity we don’t up our ante, we should get more criticism like the "Dying to race or Racing to die!!!!" headline I saw recently.?