Hero MotoSports Team Rally Signs Tanika Shanbhag Its First Female Pilot

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has been hard at work for the past few years, seeding motorsport culture in India. After winning significant laurels at the Dakar these past few years, it’s expanding its team with three new young riders signing a contract to don the factory colours, including its first female rally pilot.

Tanika Shanbhag, a 20-year-old racer from Satara, Maharashtra, joins Hero’s Rally team along with 23-year-old Karan Kumar and 22-year-old Arun T from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka respectively. All three racers have considerable experience under their belts and have had some success in the 260cc class (Group-B,-D) just like their seniors, Sathyaraj and Yuva Kumar.

The five riders will soon be seen racing for the mark in the first week of September at the opening round of the Indian National Rally Sprint Championship held in Bengaluru. The riders will be piloting the purpose built Hero MotoSports Xpulse Rally 200 and stock Hero Xpulse 200 4V.

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The signing of the contracts was held at Big Rock Dirt Park in Bengaluru, where Hero also delivered 100 Xpulse 200 4V Rally Edition bikes to amplify its love for the sport. Wondering what’s the difference between a Rally Edition Xpulse 200 4V and an Xpulse 200 4V with a rally kit? Check this out.