JK Tyres’ Sanjay ‘Hardy’ Sharma passes away

Sanjay Sharma, head of Motorsport and Corporate Communications of JK Tyres, passed away on Wednesday (February 11, 2026). He was 61.

Sanjay, fondly known as ‘Hardy’, was one of the most influential persons in Indian motorsport and played a key role in advancing the careers of India’s only two Formula One drivers Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, apart from a host of other prominent Indian drivers including rallyist Gaurav Gill.

“Today is one of the blackest days in the history of Indian Motorsport,” said Narain Karthikeyan in a social media post.

Karun Chandhok too paid rich tributes, saying, “Heartbreaking news about Hardy’s passing...outside of my family, nobody did more for my career or taught me more. So many great memories going back to my childhood.”