Hero MotoCorp has announced the Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC), a first-of-its-kind pan-India talent-hunt program by a manufacturer. It aims at providing a much-awaited platform for budding riders, enthusiasts as well as amateurs.
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 Hero Xpulse 200 4V motorcycle along with sponsorship contracts from Hero MotoCorp worth Rs 20 lakh. The HDBC will further be telecast over MTV and streamed over Voot in the month of November 2022.
Interested participants can register online on the official site. After screening of the online submissions, the first rounds will be held over multiple weekends in 45 cities. Shortlisted participants from this round will move to the regional rounds that will be held across 18 cities.
The top-100 selected riders will be trained by ace Indian rider CS Santosh at a five-day regional bootcamp. The bootcamp will conclude in a race and the top-20 participants will then move on to the finals. This will be held at the Center of Innovation of Technology (CIT), Hero MotoCorp’s R&D centre in Jaipur.
At CIT, the top riders will be trained and mentored by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally, one of the top international teams and also the only Indian team ever to win a stage at the Dakar Rally. Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi will work with the top participants over five days before the final race. This will choose the eventual winner for the coveted prize.
