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Tag: Asad Khan
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Sachin double at MMSC Sprint rally; Rehana bags Ladies class
Chennai, June 25, 2023: Bengaluru’s Sachin D capped himself with glory by winning titles in two categories as riders from Karnataka dominated with a haul of six in the MMSC Two-Wheeler Sprint Rally Series 2003 Powered by Vamcy Merla which concluded at the Madras International Circuit here today.
Sachin took the honours in Group B (Up to 260cc) winning all four rounds that were held over two consecutive weekends and the Open (Up to 750cc) with two wins and as many podiums.
The organisers, Madras Motor Sports Club, ran the event on a dirt track specially prepared for the event and measuring about six Kms. While Round 1 was held on June 17, the remaining three rounds were run on June 24-25.
Former National racing champion Rehana Reya from Chennai, astride an Xpulse for the first time, remained unbeaten over four rounds to claim the title in the Women’s class.
“The terrain was fast in the last round after a slushy third round and I enjoyed the dry run. It was fun to race on such a speedy terrain. MMRT looked very different for me this time as I am riding for the first time on the unique rally track and not on the Tarmac. The organisers never disappoint the riders as they provided a challenging terrain with a portion of Tarmac where I was able to gain much traction. The experience helped me to clock a better timing of 4min 57sec. I am also happy to be in the top-10 with the boys in the Overall classification,” said Rehana Reya. She also thanked Vamcy Merla and MMSC for providing a good platform for the riders to experience more seat time in the Sprint rally format.
I put my hands on newly set up machine for this race, I never rode a Xpulse before this was a good opportunity to give it a try riding my race spec bike on this track , I felt I’m learning to improve and getting better on the bike , all thanks to my tuner VINODH and team 56 racing for good work ..
mostly I want to thank vamcy Merla sir for giving us such a great platform for all the good riders in our motorsport community with all the trust and confidence .Iam very happy I’m able to represent VM foundation.
Looking forward for my next race to perform better ..The competition in the Teenagers Class produced a nail-biting finish with Chennai’s Rakshit S Dave topping the category despite finishing fourth in the final round which his closest rival, Shreyas Hareesh (Bengaluru) won. Rakshit finished with 70 points to Shreyas’ 68.
Chikmagaluru’s Asad Khan (Group D, up to 260cc) and Abrar Pasha from Shivamogga (Group B, up to 165cc) also won all four rounds in their respective categories to emerge champions.
Suhail Ahmed from Bengaluru topped the Group A (up to 750cc) category winning two rounds over the weekend while Uttarkhand’s Akhand Pratap Singh pouched the title in the Group B up to 400cc class with an all-win record.
Notching three wins in four rounds, Bengaluru’s Naresh VS bagged the series title in the Royal Enfield category.
MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “MMSC is grateful to Vamcy Marla for sponsoring the event that was held over two weekends. We also thank all the competitors for their involvement.”
The Series champions:
Open (Up to 750cc): Sachin D (Bengaluru)
Group A (up to 500cc): Suhail Ahmed (Bengaluru, Alisha Racing).
Group B (up to 165cc): Abrar Pasha (Shivamogga).
Group B (260cc):D Sachin (Bengaluru).
Group B (400cc): Akhand Pratap Singh (Uttarkhand).
Group D (260cc): Asad Khan (Chikmgaluru).
Royal Enfield: Naresh VS (Bengaluru).
Teenagers: Rakshit S Dave (Chennai).
Women: Rehana Reya (Chennai).
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Asad Khan crowned Hero Dirt Biking champion
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, champion, flanked by Rakesh, left, and Gidyun, right. 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.
