Key highlights
- KTM Adventure Rally Extreme will be held in Mumbai and Bengaluru
- 2018 Dakar Rally champion Matthias Walkner will lead the training sessions
- Top rider from each city wins an all-expenses-paid advanced training experience in Europe
KTM is bringing a little bit of the Dakar Rally experience to India. The company has announced KTM Adventure Rally Extreme, an immersive off-road riding and training programme that will give Indian KTM Adventure owners an opportunity to learn directly from 2018 Dakar Rally champion Matthias Walkner.
The programme will be held in Mumbai and Bengaluru and will be split into two parts, Face to Face and Ride & Train.
Two-day rally training experience
The Face to Face session is open to all enthusiasts and will cost just Rs 500. Walkner will talk about his Dakar journey, racing experiences and the lessons he has learnt from competing at the highest level of off-road motorsport. The Ride & Train programme, meanwhile, costs Rs 5,000 and is limited to selected KTM Adventure owners.
The Mumbai leg begins with the Face to Face session on September 11 at Rangsharda Auditorium, followed by Ride & Train sessions on September 12 and 13 at Adventure Square, Amby Valley.
In Bengaluru, the Face to Face session will take place on September 15 at the NIMHANS Convention Centre, followed by Ride & Train on September 16 and 17 at Tribal Adventure Cafe.
Learn the Dakar way
Participants will be trained in areas such as rally mindset, physical conditioning, roadbook navigation, motorcycle self-recovery and trail-side repairs. The programme will culminate in a scored rally challenge using the production-spec KTM 390 Adventure.
KTM says 100 Adventure owners will be selected through a national application process, with 50 riders participating in each city. They will be split into four batches of 25 riders to allow for more focused interaction and training.
The top rider from Mumbai and the top rider from Bengaluru will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe for a two-day advanced roadbook navigation programme with Walkner.
Who is Matthias Walkner?
Walkner is no ordinary riding instructor. The Austrian rider won the 2018 Dakar Rally, the 2015 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and has three Dakar podium finishes to his name. This will also be his first visit to India.
KTM is using the event to bring its extensive Dakar experience closer to its Indian customer base. The company has won the Dakar Rally 21 times, including an extraordinary run of 18 consecutive victories.
For KTM Adventure owners, this is therefore considerably more interesting than your usual brand ride.
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