New Delhi, Aug 26 (FN Agency) Hero MotoSports Team Rally has strengthened its National Team’s rider line-up by onboarding three new young riders. The national team consists of the experienced pair of Sathyaraj and Yuva Kumar, who will now be joined by the three new young riders – Tanika Shanbhag, Karan Kumar and Arun T. The youngest of the three is 20-year-old Tanika Shanbhag, from Satara, Maharashtra, who is also the first female rider for the Team. Tanika, finished on the podium as Runner-up at the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Indian National Rally Championship, as well as winner of Group B class (up to 260cc), and achieved a top-10 overall finish in the inaugural Rally of Himalayas 2021. Karan,the 23-year-old rider from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu – comes with a solid experience in Supercross as well as Rally racing formats. He is the winner of Round 3 of the Indian National Rally Championship 2022 (Group B – 260cc class) and is currently running 3rd at the INRC 2022 (up to 260cc class) with consistent finishes in the Top 5.
Completing the rider line-up is 22-year-old Arun from Hassan in Karnataka, who has also enjoyed success in both Supercross and Rally disciplines. He is currently leading the Indian National Supercross Championship in the 260cc class. Using this season in Rally as a training season, Arun has been trying out different bike setups in different classes in the championship, and achieved a top 5 finish in Group B (modified up to 260cc class) and a 2nd place in Group D (stock, up to 260cc class). Team veterans, Sathyaraj and Yuva have been riding for the National Team since its inception in 2020. Yuva was the National Champion in Group B modified class (up to 260cc class) and Group D stock class (up to 260 cc) at the Indian National Rally Sprint Championship in 2021. Sathya finished INRSC 2021 as runner-up in Group D stock class (up to 260cc).
They have won multiple titles and podiums in varied events such as the Ace of Dirt, Rally of Chamba, SJOBA Rally, Dakshin Dare, Ultimate Desert Challenge, and more. The 5-rider squad will first be seen in action at the opening round of the Indian National Rally Sprint Championship at Bengaluru in the first week of September. The riders will take on the country’s varied terrains astride the specially designed Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200 and the Hero Xpulse 200 4V. Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said: “We are happy to announce our national team expansion with three strong riders. Hero MotoSports Team Rally has created a differentiated position for itself and we are glad to appeal to talented riders across the globe. These three riders were chosen from a large talent pool after multiple evaluations by our national team, along with our international team rider – Ross Branch, who was in India last month.”