Bengaluru, Nov 2 (FN Representative) Giving wings to the next generation of riders who want to enter the world of professional racing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Private Limited resumed the hunt for young racing talent by conducting round 2 of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt 2021 at the Aruani Grid in Bengaluru. Since its launch in 2018, the IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt has gained success as a unique platform that identifies the best of young Indian riders and develops them for a racing career, spanning national and international road racing and endurance championships. The second round of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt 2021 in Bengaluru saw participation of 14 amateur riders from 8 cities (Bengaluru in Karnataka; Tirupur and Karur in Tamil Nadu; Kolhapur in Maharashtra; Kannur, Kottayam, Thrissur and Perinthalmanna in Kerala). The round saw riders coming in from age as young as 11 years going up to 17 years. Interestingly, the round also saw a 11-year-old young girl break the ranks. The participants included both aspiring as well as experienced young riders who are looking for a platform to fulfil their dream of becoming an iconic rider.
Prabhu Nagaraj, Company’s Senior Vice President (Brand & Communication) Prabhu Nagaraj said in long term, Honda’s focus is to put young Indian talent on multiple national and international platforms like Asia Talent Cup, Asia Road Racing Championship, Endurance championships. “I am confident that these budding riders will change the scenario of motorsports in India and make the nation proud both at national as well as international level,” he said. In Level 1, all 14 candidates went through rigorous 3 levels of tests. First being a grueling physical fitness session followed by judging the young guns’ riding skills and maneuverability on the racetrack. This was followed by a one-on-one interview with candidates and their parents/guardians to understand both their motorsport passion and family support to become the next iconic rider from India. After shortlisting 7 candidates including 1 female in phase 1, these top candidates of the Talent Hunt of Bengaluru were trained and given the opportunity to ride on the track in Level II. It is from this pool of talent that Honda will pick up the best talent for future development. These final riders will now get an opportunity to race in the IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup CBR 150R category.