Mohamed Reza Abdul Rashid's motorcycle after it had been retrieved from the grass patch where it laid. - FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A 43-year-old Singaporean died in hospital after he was involved in a motorcycle accident in one of Thailand’s southern provinces on Monday (June 12).
Mohamed Reza Abdul Rashid had set off from Singapore on Sunday night with the aim of reaching central Thailand, where he planned to camp.
But the physical education teacher, who was riding a 2021 Ducati Multistrada V4S, did not reach his destination.
On Monday morning, posts on Thai social media appealed for his next of kin to be notified of the accident, after Reza lost control of his motorcycle near Phatthalung Province Central Stadium.
Photographs shared on Facebook showed his vehicle lying on a grass patch, while Reza – who goes by the moniker Red Baron on his social media accounts and personal website – had on an oxygen mask as medical staff attended to him.
He was taken to Phatthalung Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
He had just crossed the border into Thailand from Malaysia at about 6.30am earlier in the day, with his last Facebook post being at 7.45am.
“We are halfway through the Iron Butt Challenge. Now we have another 800km more to go,” he had said, referring to a long distance ride undertaken by motorcyclists to test their endurance within a set period of time.
According to his website, Reza has completed the challenge twice before, once in December 2014, when he rode from Hua Hin in central Thailand to Singapore, and a second time in September 2017, from Singapore to Hua Hin.
He is survived by his wife and three children.
In a tribute to her late husband on Tuesday morning, Huda Lajam described Reza as “my everything”.
She said on Facebook: “He was a good man, with such a kind, soft heart. He loved his children so much, too much. Family was his everything. His passion was the road... wanderlust... adventure... he died doing the thing he loved, riding on his bike.”
The motorcycle community here mourned the loss of one of their own.
This included the Ducati Motor Club Singapore account – which comprises lovers of the motorcycle brand.
It said in an Instagram story that it was “shocked and saddened, describing him as its beloved brother and founder”.
Meanwhile, several others shared photos they had taken with Reza, as well as anecdotes from his time traversing the roads on two wheels.
On Facebook, local celebrity chef Shahrizal Salleh, better known as Chef Bob, recounted how he bumped into Reza in Johor Bahru last Friday.
“I cannot help but cry upon receiving the news. We were classmates at Temasek Secondary. Life is so precious, so fragile. Spend it with those who matter the most. For all we know, today might be our last,” said Shahrizal.
The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.
