Professional car racer Ashwin Sundar died after a tragic car crash in Chennai on Saturday, leaving the Indian motorsport fraternity shocked. Sundar and his wife Niveditha, a doctor, were trapped inside their BMW car after it rammed into a roadside tree and caught fire. They died on the spot.
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One of India’s most prominent racers in the domestic arena, Ashwin Sundar had been in the professional car racing circuit for well over a decade.
A former national champion across different categories, Ashwin Sundar had first made his mark in the sport by winning the 2002 MRF National Go-Kart Championships (U-17 age group) as a 13-year old, going on to win the title again in 2003.
His stock grew after he lifted the MRF Formula Mondial National titles in 2003 and 2004.
In 2004, Ashwin Sundar went on to make his debut in the Formula FISSME (800 cc) and Formula LGB series (1000 cc) series, finishing fourth in the Indian championship. In the process, he became the youngest Formula LGB driver at the time.
In 2006, he was adjudged Champion of Champions in India after winning the 115cc 4-stroke and 150cc 4-stroke titles.
The Chennai-born racer continued to make his mark in the sport in the later years.
In 2007, Sundar became the Indian champion in the Formula Hyundai and Formula Swift categories, the first driver to win both titles in the same season.
He became the champion at the MRF Formula 1600 International Challenge event in 2010, repeating the feat in 2011.
In 2012 Sundar lifted the Formula 4 national title. A year later, Sundar became the champion in MRF FF 1600 series.
Sundar was 27 years of age at the time of his death.
