Jaipur, 4 Nov 2022: Multiple National champion and motorsport rally star from Chikkamagaluru, Asad Khan, was crowned as the first-ever Hero Dirt Biking Challenge champion following the finals held here for the top 20 who came through multiple stages of competition after a five month-long rigorous contest that began with over 1 lakh registered riders vying for honours from across the country.
Rakesh N and Gidyun Benjamin were first and second runners-up respectively. Olesya Dias emerged as the best female rider.
“It is an amazing moment and I am thrilled to become India’s first dirt biking hero. The sheer magnitude of the event and huge response from over one lakh riders is a great tribute to Hero Motosports. I enjoyed every bit of it,” said an elated Asad Khan.
It was a big moment for Asad Khan, the Bengaluru-based privateer from the Coffee Land, who was crowned as the off-road riding champion and was awarded a Hero Xpulse 200 4V bike. A regular in the Indian National Rally Championship (2w), it was also a moment of satisfaction for all the hard work over the years fighting with factory teams as the humble giant bagged a sponsorship contract worth Rs 10 lakh. With limited or virtually negligible sponsorship opportunities, privateers in Indian motorsports spend huge amounts on their passion and the Hero sponsorship contracts for the top-three winners comes as a big push to continue their motorsports careers.
Asad Khan first topped his zone at the Kodman Motopark in Mangaluru, where 60 riders took part in the preliminaries and five were selected for the next stage. The others are Ishan Chandra, Suhail Ahmed, Safwan Hussain (all Mangaluru) and Samson from Mysuru. Later after three more stages, Khan got into the National camp for the top 100.
Different stages
The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC), which was launched in July 2022, concluded with the final race where only the 20 winners that came through different stages of competition fought for the top prize to become the the first HDBC champion. Earlier, clearing the city and regional rounds, 90 riders reached the Zonal round. Following a 4-day Zonal round, the National Team of Hero MotoSports trained participants before the top-20 Dirt-Biking Heroes made it to the finale.
Rakesh N, who came second won also received an Xpulse 200 4V and sponsorships contracts worth Rs. 6 lakhs while Gidyun Benjamin will get Rs. 4 lakh sponsorship and a similar bike too. Olesya Dias was recognized as the ‘Best Female off-Road Rider’ in the country for her rousing performance across all the rounds. The HDBC was telecast over MTV and streamed over Voot.
The finale week was held in and around Hero MotoCorp’s world-class R&D hub, the centre of Innovation and Technology, (CIT), in Jaipur. The entire race and participation experience was designed at par with top international rally events. The entire finale week was curated by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally.
Huge response
From July, over 100,000 participants registered for the HDBC and after a rigorous nationwide contest that ran across four stages and 41 cities 20 finalist who were short listed took part in the final Jaipur event.
Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Growth Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The massive excitement and participation in Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is proof that the off-road riding segment is growing in the country. Xpulse is a favorite of riders and HDBC is a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country that opened doors for riding enthusiasts to achieve glory. We congratulate the winners and wish all the finalist the best for the future.”
Dr. Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The Hero MotoSports Team Rally is the flag-bearer of Indian off-road racing. With superior technology, the Xpulse 200 4V is the ideal bike for riders to get into the sport, pursue their passion and go beyond boundaries. Congratulations to the winners. Hero MotoSports will continue to support national talent in the future too.”
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, one of the top international teams, is the rally-racing team of Hero MotoCorp and the only Indian team ever to win a stage at the Dakar Rally. Team riders Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi worked with the top participants in a Residential Bootcamp, and provided them with invaluable coaching.
The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is the first-of-its-kind pan-India talent-hunt program by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) which provided a platform for budding riders, enthusiasts and amateurs who want to pursue off-road racing and the response for the maiden edition was amazing.
