Death of biker mars eve of India Baja

ORGANISERS SAID ASBAK MON DIED WHILE GOING ON AN OFFTRACK EXCURSION IN THAR DESERT WITHOUT INFORMING THEM

JAISALMER: Gloom prevailed over India Baja 2018 on Friday following the shocking death of a rider even before the cross country rally could begin.

Asbak Mon, 35, from Kerala was due to take part in the Moto category but organisers said an off-track excursion for practice in the Thar Desert led to his death. Organisers of India Baja, Northern Motorsport, claimed the biker had gone to practice with his Angata Racing teammates without informing them. While four of them returned, Asbak went missing.

“Some bikers went out to practice and he (Asbak Mon) got lost. We were informed last evening. We immediately sent out teams to search for him. He was not found till 2 am (Friday). Our officials were sent out again at 5 am and they later found his body some 60 km off track,” Northern Motorsport vice-president Raj Kapoor said.

However, the search parties and the police, who went on the trail of Asbak, were incommunicado for almost the entire day as there was no mobile network where the body was found. They were finally contacted on Friday evening. “Sam Police Station authorities are investigating the matter. The body will then be taken to the Jaisalmer mortuary,” Northern Motorsport founder and president Jayesh Desai said.

Karan Singh, SHO of Sam Police Station, said the body was found far into the desert and they are bringing it to the mortuary. “I can give more details only after the post-mortem.”

To add to the misery, the ceremonial flag-off was cancelled as heavy rains lashed the desert town. “They will probably hold it tomorrow morning,” said TVS Racing’s Abdul Wahid Tanveer, who got the ticket to 2020 Dakar via his podium in India Baja 2017. Organisers, however, said the rally will go ahead as planned.