Ashwin Sundar accident: From Jwala Gutta to Karun Chandhok, social media condoles racer's untimely demise

The untimely death of former national racing champion Ashwin Sundar and his wife Nivedhita after a horrific car crash early on Saturday morning sent shockwaves through social media. Twitter particularly saw a spate of tweets, with many genuinely shocked by the incident.

The couple was returning home when its BMW rammed into a tree on the Santhome High Road in Chennai. The car burst into flames and the duo got charred to death. 31-year-old Ashwin took to racing early in his life and won many titles in his illustrious career. In 2006, he was adjudged Champion of Champions in India after winning the 115cc 4-stroke and 150cc 4-stroke titles. As recently as in 2012 and 2013 he became the country’s undisputed F4 champion as well.

Here’s a look at some of the tweets:

Driver Karun Chandhok was among the first from the racing fraternity to tweet about the tragedy.

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

— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) March 18, 2017

Doubles badminton star Jwala Gutta was one of the most prominent athletes to tweet calling the incident “really tragic”. She also tweeted that her condolences were with Ashwin’s family. The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the governing body for motor sports in India, said racing had lost a “fine driver and an amazing person”.

Motor sports has lost a truly fine driver and an amazing person in #AshwinSundar. May his soul rest in peace. #RIPAshwin

— FMSCI (@fmsci) March 18, 2017

“It’s a sad day for motor sports,” FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim said. “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,” he added​, expressing his sorrow on behalf of the fraternity​.

DD Sports also tweeted.

DD Sports mourns the death of National car racer #AshwinSundar pic.twitter.com/E9GDaixEu2

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) March 18, 2017

Even Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, tweeted about the tragedy.

Saddened by the tragic news of demise of National car racer #AshwinSundar & his wife. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) March 18, 2017