Kodman, Mangaluru: Mangaluru witnessed the Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC) at Kodman Motopark near Canara Engineering College in the outskirts of the city. The pan-India dirt-biking talent search was initiated by Hero MotoCorp in association with MTV and Voot TV networks.
Hero MotoCorp introduced the HDBC to serve as a platform for aspiring riders and enthusiasts to showcase their talent. The country’s best amateur off-road riders are chosen from 45 cities. Hero MotoCorp will be awarding a Hero Xpulse 200 4V motorcycle and sponsorship contracts worth ₹20 lakhs to the winner and the two runners-up.
Stage 3 of HDBC was held at Kodman Motopark, Benjanpadav on Sept. 24 and 25. More than 60 passionate motorcycle enthusiasts from Mangaluru, Goa, Mysore, Chikkamagaluru, Shimoga participated in the event.
The HDBC event was hosted by Shoeb Khan from Mysore, who is a certified FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) official and a professional rally racer.
The two-day action packed event included a variety of challenges that the riders had to face. Participants had to go through jumps, a sidewall, whoops and finally park at the stop box with the fastest time.
Five winners have been selected for the next round which will be held in Bengaluru. Asad Khan from Chikkamagaluru won the first place while Ishan Chandra from Mangaluru won second, Samson from Mysore won third, Suhail Ahmed from Mangaluru won fourth and Safwan Hussain from Mangaluru came in fifth position.
The top 100 chosen riders nationwide will attend a 5-day regional boot camp following the preliminary rounds. Ross Branch and Joachim Rodriguez, from the rally team of Hero Motosports, will work with the best competitors and offer their advice. The final event of the boot camp will be a race, and the winners will advance to the finals, which will be hosted by superstar VJ,Bani J.
Christon D’souza, the proprietor of Kodman Motopark said, “I was truly contented seeing the number of participants at Kodman. This is a great initiative taken by Hero MotoCorp to give an opportunity to the moto enthusiasts. I thank Hero MotoCorp for their support to the motorsport Family”.
Kodman Motopark has an off-road track for bikes and 4-wheelers where motorsport enthusiasts can train and hone their off-roading skills. The track provides budding riders/drivers a platform to learn and start their career in Motorsports. Kodman Motopark is available for queries on its Instagram handle @kodmanmotopark.
