Hero MotoCorp ties up with Erik Buell Racing to bring in superbikes

Country’s leading bike-maker Hero MotoCorp today made an announcement of joining hands with the famed Erik Buell Racing (EBR) from USA to further enhance and expand its R&D capabilities. One of the most revered names in the motorcycle industry Erik Buell has been instrumental in developing some highly advanced technologies for motorcycles over the years and is the only American sportbike maker in the world. The alliance will provide Hero MotoCorp with technical support with regards to new-age technologies as well as design in order to launch performance-based high-end models in India.

With the new partnership, Hero MotoCorp will hugely benefit in terms of R&D abilities as well as expanding its product portfolio with high-end machines suitable for Indian market. The joint venture will also see the Indian bike-maker foray into the world of two-wheeler motorsport for the first time by sponsoring two dedicated racing outfits, ‘Team Hero’ and ‘AMSOIL Hero’ in the AMA Pro Road Racing Championship with Danny Eslick and Geoff May piloting two Buell 1190RS superbikes for the two teams, respectively. The first race is scheduled at the Daytona Speedway, at Daytona beach, Florida, USA between March 15th & 17th, this year.

Speaking on the occasion, Pawan Munjal, MD & CEO, Hero MotoCorp, commented, “It gives me immense pleasure to welcome Erik Buell to the exciting world of Hero MotoCorp. This is in keeping with my objective of quickly scaling up our own in-house R&D capabilities to a global two-wheeler technology power-house by leveraging a network of strategic international alliances. Erik and his team have been working closely with our engineers and designers to develop our next generation range of products with cutting-edge technology and first-of-its-kind features. The Indian two-wheeler industry is set to evolve, and it is only natural that as the market leader, we are driving this change. As a part of this plan, Erik is going to play an integral role in giving shape to some of my dream two-wheelers for the discerning youth of today. So my R&D team and Erik’s team together have made some definitive progress in this direction, and we will hopefully be putting a few scorchers on the roads soon.”

Erik F. Buell, Chairman and CTO of EBR said, “EBR is delighted to partner with a company as iconic as Hero MotoCorp. Both HMCL and EBR share the common commitment to manufacturing world-class two-wheelers with technology of the future. I have personally been deeply impressed with and inspired by Pawan’s vision. He has given us a challenging brief, and our highly-motivated team is working towards giving shape to that dream. We look forward to designing technology solutions which are in line with contemporary global standards and also futuristic in their appeal and utility.”