Seven-year-old minibike champion Sid Veijer passed away on Sunday after succumbing to injuries sustained in a training accident. "Sid fought like a lion. We fought with him until the last minute with everything we had. The doctors and nurses did what they could," said his family in a heartfelt statement.
Sid was critically injured on December 22 while training on a mini motorcycle at an indoor karting facility in Swalmen, Netherlands. During the session, he lost control of his bike and suffered a severe fall, resulting in serious head and facial injuries.
Following the accident, he was initially transferred to a medical center in Echt before being airlifted by trauma helicopter to Maastricht Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. He underwent four surgical interventions in a desperate attempt to save his life. Despite the efforts of the medical team and Sid's resilience, he remained in critical condition for two weeks.
His family provided updates during his hospitalization, initially holding onto hope after observing slight improvements in his condition. "Last Monday there was a small glimmer of hope in Sid's situation. By the end of the week, that glimmer turned into the darkest scenario, and there was an unfair fight that Sid could not win," they said in a statement.
Sid's cousin, 19-year-old motorcycle racer Collin Veijer, is currently competing in the Moto3 class. "You fought as hard as you could against everything that happened, but this heavy and difficult battle you could not win... I am very proud to be your cousin, and I will never forget the fun moments we spent together, even though I wasn't much with you. You will always be in my thoughts. You give me more motivation to fight as hard as you did. I love you, Sid," wrote Collin in a tribute on Instagram.
Sid was considered a promising talent in Dutch motorcycling. In October 2023, he was crowned champion in the Minibike Junior A-class.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq