Lee Keshav

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 professionals, he was not able to make it to the academy. However, Keshav admits the exposure he received helped him pursue his racing dreams.

After a small stint with bikes, 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.

Lee Keshav driving the MRF Challenge car in Bahrain

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 that year'.

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.

After only one year of national level racing Keshav made a bold move to enter the MRF Formula Ford 1600 championship.

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.

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.

Lee Keshav at the MRF Challenge Race in Qatar with Freddie Hunt, Mathias Lauda and Nikita Mazepin

Keshav's racing progress slowed down in the next couple of years that followed. He took part in limited races in 2016 - 2017 in the National Racing Championship [6] and focused more on doing promotional events with BMW India like the BMW M Driver Training in Germany and India.

Keshav admits he had to step back from Racing as it was starting to burn him out and his alternative career as a Product Designer was taking off. He took a long hiatus from racing but always showed an intent to return. Most recently, Keshav revealed his plans to make a come back in Racing in 2022 and beyond.[7][8]

Lee Keshav testing a Formula Renault car in Spain in 2021