Car racer, wife charred to death in road accident

Professional car racer Ashwin Sundar and his wife died in a car accident in the early hours of Saturday at MRC Nagar in Chennai.

The 31-year-old Sundar and Niveditha were trapped inside their BMW when it caught fire after crashing into a roadside tree.  The couple was charred to death inside the vehicle, police said.

Niveditha was a doctor at a private hospital in Chennai. According to the police, they were returning from a friend’s house at MRC Nagar when the accident took place. The couple lived nearby in Alapakkam near Porur.
 
The burning car was  streamed live on Facebook, which instantly went viral on social media.
The police said speeding was the reason behind the crash.

Fire and rescue services personnel from Mylapore also rushed to the spot, but it took nearly 30 minutes to douse the flames.

Champ’s titles  
Sundar had won the national title in car racing and two-wheeler events on several occasions. In 2006, he was adjudged Champion of Champions in India after winning the 115cc 4-stroke and 150cc 4-stroke titles. He had signed a deal with German racing team Ma-Con Motorsport and drove in the German Formula Volkswagen ADAC Championship in 2008.

As recent as 2012 and 2013, Sundar became the country’s undisputed F4 champion.
Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India president and former racer Akbar Ebrahim tweeted: “It’s a sad day for motor sports. I knew Ashwin since he was an infant and I saw him excel in all formats of the sport. May his and his wife’s soul rest in peace.”

Former Indian Formula One driver Karun Chandhok, too, expressed shock. “Very sad to hear this morning that the young Indian National racing champion Ashwin Sundar and his wife were killed in a road accident.#RIP,” he wrote on Twitter.