Hero MotoCorp celebrated 10 years of competitive rally racing at its facility in Jaipur.
By Deepanshi | Published Jun 23,2026
The event had 2024 FIM World Rally-Raid Champion Ross Branch, Nacho Cornejo and Michael Docherty.
Hero MotoSports was created in 2016 to test its technology in the toughest terrains and put India on the international rally circuit.
Since then, the Hero MotoSports team has secured several podiums and victories across Dakar and the FIM World Rally-Raid Championships.
Hero also launched India's Next Dakar Hero (INDH) program, aimed at finding and training young Indian off-road racers for international competitions.
Riders under the INDH program enroll in a two-to-three-year development plan covering advanced riding techniques, navigation and endurance.
Shlok Ghorpade, an 18-year-old racer, is the first rider selected under the INDH program.
He will train alongside Ross Branch and the core team, for the Dakar Rally.
Hero MotoCorp has also extended its partnership with the Dakar Rally and the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship organiser ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) for another five years.
After securing an overall second position at Dakar 2024, Hero MotoSports now sets its sights on its first Dakar win.