Rustington teen remembered with stunning motorbike convoy

Seventeen-year-old India Buchanan, from Rustington, died in hospital after a motorcycle incident on A27 Crockhurst Hill in Salvington on Friday, November 18.

India was remembered by her family as a motorcycle enthusiast and animal lover, with an ‘infectious laugh’ and ‘who always wanted to make other people happy’.

A funeral and motorbike convoy took place on Tuesday (December 20) in India’s memory. The event was organised by WeAreMoTo founder Xavi Champion, who was idolised by India.

Xavi, 42, said it was an ‘absolute honour and privilege’ to be given the responsibility of this cortège.

He added: “India used to be one of my biggest fans. She was all about motorbikes, she was an avid rider.

“Her family approached me when it happened. We said we would be honoured to take it on and had a courtage yesterday.

"I counted 106 bikes at one point. It was really awesome. We got everyone through safely and it was a fantastic send-off.”

Xavi said India was a biker mechanic apprentice and she was due to take her CBT (compulsory basic training) tests two days after she died.

“She loved her cats and nature,” Xavi said. "Her passion was Japanese cartoons and her bed is exactly that. It summed India up perfectly to be honest.

“Purple is her favourite colour so we all wore purple ribbons and there was one on her bike, which was part of the cortège.

"She was a lovely girl. The whole point of this was so she still got her ride. That’s what she wanted. The support from the biker community was just phenomenal.”

“We all stuck together and got everything perfect. We couldn’t ask for more.”

The motorcycle convoy met in Rustington at 9am on Tuesday. They stopped at India’s home before making their way to the funeral service at St Peter’s Church in Henfield. After the service, they travelled to Littlehampton Cemetery to lay India to rest.

“It was breathtaking what went on yesterday,” Xavi said. “There was no police escort and we moved 104 bikes, two limousines and a hearse, with family cars without one incident. Everything was incredibly done so well.”