Demo vehicle comes hurtling down

The incident occurred when the driver of the vehicle failed to negotiate a stiff curve and lost balance. After hitting a tree, the vehicle slowed down a little, hurtled down 50 ft, and came to a halt.

A series of pictures showing a demo racing vehicle jumping off the track after hitting a tree at the 'Vizag Autocross' - the first motorsports event, in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Photo: K.R. Deepak

Lack of safety precautions at a racing venue here caused injuries to two children when a demo vehicle jumped off the makeshift track on Sunday.

The incident occurred when the driver of the vehicle failed to negotiate a stiff curve and lost balance. After hitting a tree, the vehicle slowed down a little, hurtled down 50 ft, and came to a halt. Both children, one of them who fractured his arm, were rushed to a hospital in an ambulance.

Safety jackets and helmets were not given to the children, eyewitnesses said.

When contacted, one of the coordinators of the event, Abbas Taskeen, told

The Hindu that he was not aware of the incident.

The main racing event, which was organised for the first time at Andhra University Engineering College Grounds, evoked an impressive response. Mr. Taskeen said 200 bike and four-wheeler owners from the city, Bangalore, and Hyderabad took part in the event.