Features

1st Hero Dirt Biking Challenge concludes

Written by Kanad Kalasur

Hero MotoCorp has successfully completed the Hero Dirt Biking Challenge. The event was launched in July 2022 and concluded after a four-month-long selection process. The top 20 finalists from across India competed for the top spot in the final race.

What is the Hero Dirt Biking Challenge?

The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is one of the first-of-its-kind events organised by an OEM. The pan-India talent-hunt program was curated with the aim of offering an accessible platform to the country’s budding riders, enthusiasts and amateurs who want to pursue their hobby off the road.

How the event progressed

Asad Khan came out on top to clinch the first position, followed by Rakesh N and Gidyun. The top three winners received a Hero Xpluse 200 4V motorcycle and sponsorship contracts worth INR 10 lakh, INR 6 lakh and INR 4 lakh, respectively. Hero also recognised Olesya Dias as the ‘Best Female off-road rider’ in the country for her performance across all rounds.

The Finale took place in and around Hero’s Research and Development hub – The Centre of Innovation and Technology, Jaipur. The event was organised as per international rally standards. Hero MotoSports Team Rally curated the week-long finale event. In the days leading up to the Finale, 1,00,000 participants registered for the Dirt Biking Challenge. The nationwide event took place in 4 stages and was conducted in 41 cities across 120 days. The finalists were shortlisted after this.

First, the city and regional rounds were conducted. Just 90 riders reached the zonal round. In the 4-day zonal round, the national team of Hero motoSports trained the contestants, and the Top 20 made it to the Finale.

Coaching by Hero MotoSports Team Rally

Members of the Hero MotoSports Team Rally – Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi, conducted a residential boot camp for the top participants. The team is the rally-racing team of the Hero MotoCorp and the only Indian team to win a stage at the coveted Dakar Rally.

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