Hero MotoCorp today announced Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC) – the first-of-its-kind pan-India talent-hunt program by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer). The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is aimed at providing the much-awaited platform for budding riders, enthusiasts and amateurs who want to pursue their passion in off-road racing and make a name for themselves in the field.
Making it truly pan-national by spanning across the nook and corner of the country, the HDBC will reach as many as 45 cities to find India’s top amateur off-road riders. The winner and two runners-up will receive the popular Hero Xpulse 200 4V motorcycle and sponsorships contracts from Hero MotoCorp worth Rs. 20 lakh. Further spreading its popularity among the youth, the HDBC will be telecast over MTV and streamed over Voot in the month of November 2022.
Announcing this here today, 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. Thanks also to the Hero Xpulse 200 4V, the youth have now got an accessible option to pursue their passion in off-road riding. I am sure this first-of-its-kind initiative in the country will open doors for riding enthusiasts and provide India with its future champions. We wish all the participants the very best of luck.”
The participants of the HDBC will also get a Golden Opportunity to be trained by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 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 and provide them with invaluable coaching. To register and for more details on Hero Dirt Biking Challenge, interested participants may log on to www.hdbc.in.
After screening of the online submissions, 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. The top-100 selected riders will go to a five-day regional bootcamp, where they will get another golden opportunity – this time to be trained by none other than the ace Indian rider CS Santosh.
The bootcamp will conclude with a race and the top-20 participants will then move for the finals to be held at the world-class Center of Innovation of Technology (CIT), Hero MotoCorp’s state-of-the-art R&D center in Jaipur. At CIT, 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 for the coveted prize.
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