Lee Keshav

Lee Keshav

Keshav at the 2015 MRF Challenge race
Nationality  Indian
Born (1992-12-27) December 27, 1992
Car no. 42
Starts 46
Wins 3
Poles 1
Fastest laps 1
Best finish 3rd in 2014

Lee Keshav (born December 27, 1992) is an Indian racing driver, entrepreneur and UX Designer from New Delhi.

Racing career

From a very young age Keshav showed interest in automobiles, technology and speed. He soon discovered Formula 1 on TV and was inspired to pursue motor racing.[1]

Motorcycles

Keshav got his first taste of racing from motorcycles. He was very passionate about MotoGP and visited Thailand at the age of 16 to train on Superbikes. He was soon invited by the prestigious Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup to Spain for a selection event. Due to his inexperience in comparison to other professional racing kids he was not able to make it to the academy. But the whole experience left a positive mark on Keshav and after receiving some inspiring guidance from the team at Red Bull he became even more determined to enter motorsport.

Switch to Cars

After a break of two years in 2012 Keshav decided to give racing another shot and this time he made a switch to car racing. He received his first training on car racing from renowned ex Indian F3 champion Akbar Ebrahim. The training helped him quickly get used to 4 wheels and played an important part in getting him through the tough selection event for the VW Polo R Cup Championship.

JK Tyre Racing Championship (2013-2014)

Keshav made his national level debut in the highly competitive JK Tyre Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R Cup championship. He finished 6th overall out of 20 drivers and 2nd in the Junior category. Earning multiple podiums and many times taking the fight to the more experienced drivers. He also won the 'Fastest and Fittest Young Driver of 2013'.

In 2014 Keshav returned for a second year in the VW Polo R Cup Championship. This time with experience behind him Keshav was soon considered a strong contender for the championship title.

He scored multiple wins [2] and podiums and was one of the fastest drivers throughout the year. Due to an unlucky crash in the final round of the championship Keshav was taken out by another driver and failed to finish the race. This lost him valuable points and eventually the championship. In an interview with Times Now[3] Keshav showed his disappointment on losing the championship but vowed to return stronger in the future.

At the final round of the championship Keshav also competed in the Formula BMW (known as JKFB02) as a guest driver. His best result was only a 7th position as he struggled to get used to the new car and tires while also racing the Polo R Cup car on the same weekend.

MRF National Racing Championship (2014)

After only one year of national level racing Keshav made a bold move to enter the MRF Formula Ford 1600 championship. The fastest formula car in India.

Keshav quickly got up to speed and made a surprise 2nd-place finish in only the second round of the championship. He carried the momentum and started competing with the top experienced drivers and earned more podiums in the following rounds. At the final round of the championship Keshav also scored his first win[4] at the Buddh International Circuit in front of his home crowd. He eventually finished a brilliant 3rd overall in the championship.

MRF Challenge (2014-2015)

Just two weeks after his win in the national championship Keshav managed a last minute entry in the highly acclaimed MRF Challenge winter championship.[5] This marked Keshav's international racing debut and made him one of the fastest progressing drivers from India and the only active international formula racing driver from New Delhi. He competed against the likes of Freddie Hunt and Mathias Lauda amongst other top racing drivers from around the world.

Plans for 2015 and beyond

Keshav plans to start testing Formula 3 in Europe from September 2015 onwards. He will also return for a second season in the MRF Challenge. A potential GP3 test at Abu Dhabi is also on the roadmap. In an interview with Hindustan Times in June 2015 Keshav confirmed he's trying to finalize a deal to race either Formula 3 Europe or the GP3 championship in 2016.

In May 2015 with the support of BMW India, Keshav visited the BMW Training Academy in Maisach Germany. The details of this partnership are still unknown.

Entrepreneurship

Apart from motor racing Keshav has also been passionate about the technology industry. At the young age of 16 Keshav founded his own App design firm and started working with international clients. In 2011 he joined BSB (Bharti Softbank) as a Senior UX Designer. Working under the wings of CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal he received the opportunity to head design for Hike Messenger and Airtel's Wynk Music.[1]

After 3.5 years working at Hike Messenger Keshav left the company in early 2015 to focus on his racing and his next venture (a fashion startup). Keshav believes the exposure and learning at Hike Messenger helped him gain valuable experience and knowledge as a professional and the company will always remain close to his heart.

He is currently working on a new startup based around the fashion industry.

Personal life

Keshav is based out of New Delhi, India. He travels constantly for his work and racing to various cities within India and abroad. Keshav maintains a low profile with the media although he's known to be a big socialite.

He has a younger sister who is an upcoming 10 meter air rifle shooter and is preparing to enter the next Olympics.

References

  1. 1 2 "Interview with Lee Keshav – On track to Formula One". Yahoo News India. 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  2. ↑ "Lee Keshav owns day one". Autocar India. 2014-11-10. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  3. ↑ "17th JK Tyre Racing Championship 2014, Noida (Round 4)". Times Now. 2015-01-16. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  4. ↑ "Maiden win for Lee Keshav". The Hindu. 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  5. ↑ "MRF Challenge 2014 to kickoff with night race in Qatar". Motoroids. 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
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