Hero MotoCorp to make motorsport debut with CS Santosh
Published On May 12, 2016 12:00 AM By Naveen Soni
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Hero MotoCorp has entered the motorcycle rally racing with the German off-road racing specialist -- Speedbrain. The newly formed ‘Hero MotoSports Team Rally’ will make its debut at the Merzouga Rally in Morocco.
The world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd (HMCL) today formed a strategic partnership with Speedbrain GmbH to make its presence in the motorcycle rally sport. Hero has formed a new team -- ‘Hero MotoSports Team Rally’ -- which is going to make its debut at the Merzouga Rally in Morocco later this month, a Dakar series race.
The team includes one CS Santosh, India’s only rider to have participated in Dakar Rally and a former Motocross and Supercross factory pilot - Joaquim Rodrigues. Heading the team will be Wolfgang Fischer, Managing Director, Speedbrain and the riders are going to ride the upgraded version of the successful Speedbrain 450 rally bike. The Merzouga Rally will be held from May 21st to 27th 2016. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will also participate in international rallies across the globe, leading up to the Dakar rally 2017.
On this occasion, Mr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, MD and CEO, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., said, “In the recent past, we have rapidly expanded our global footprint and also made significant investments in enhancing our R&D capabilities. Motorsport is a natural progression for us, as it will allow us to bring value-added products with top-of-the-line technology for our millions of customers. This initiative is also reflective of our consistent support to sports and sportspersons. I welcome Santosh and Joaquim on board and wish them all the very best.”
The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be under the direct supervision of Dr Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Hero MotoCorp, and will work in close collaboration with his team at the Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will also assist in development and testing of new Hero vehicles concepts, using the data collected from the races.
