Hero MotoCorp - world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters - has announced Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC), which is a first-of-its-kind pan-India talent-hunt program by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). HDBC will reach as many as 45 cities to find India’s top amateur off-road riders, making it truly pan-India. The winner and two runners-up will receive a Hero Xpulse 200 4V motorcycle and sponsorships contracts from Hero MotoCorp worth Rs. 20 lakh. HDBC will also be telecast over MTV and streamed over Voot in the month of November 2022.
Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Growth Officer (CGO), Hero MotoCorp said, “The Hero MotoSports Team Rally - the rally-racing team of Hero MotoCorp - has been India’s flag-bearer in international rally racing and we are now bringing that expertise to mentor the youth in India through HDBC. This will give a further boost to the off-road riding culture in the country.”
HDBC participants will be trained by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally, which is one of the top international teams and the only Indian team ever to win a stage at the Dakar Rally. Hero MotoSports Team Rally riders Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi will work with the top participants.
The first rounds will be held over multiple weekends in 45 cities and the shortlisted participants from this round will move to the regional rounds that will be held across 18 cities. Top-100 selected riders will go to a five-day regional bootcamp, where they will be trained by none other than Indian ace rider CS Santosh. The bootcamp will conclude with a race and the top-20 participants will then move for the finals, which will be held at the Center of Innovation of Technology (CIT), Hero MotoCorp’s R&D center in Jaipur. Here, the top riders will be trained and mentored by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally over five days before the final race to choose the eventual winner. More details can be found here
