Hero MotoSports Team Rally Celebrates 10 Years: Unveils Future Plans

Published June 22, 2026
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Hero MotoCorp marked ten years of its global rally-raid program with a talent hunt aimed at finding India's next Dakar champion

Hero MotoCorp marked ten years of competitive rally racing at its Jaipur R&D facility. Ross Branch, the 2024 FIM World Rally-Raid Champion, joined teammates Nacho Cornejo and Michael Docherty at the event. Hero founded the team in 2016 to test its technology in extreme conditions and put India on the international rally circuit. On the occasion of this milestone, it launched the 'India's Next Dakar Hero' program along with other key announcements. Also, Shlok Ghorpade, 18, joins the team as a new recruit and will be prepared for the Dakar Rally under the mentorships of greats like Ross Branch. Hero MotoCorp also renewed its partnership with Dakar Rally organiser ASO (Amaury Sport Organization) for another five years.

India's next Dakar Hero Program

Hero also launched 'India's Next Dakar Hero' (INDH). A program to find and train young Indian off-road racers for international competition. Selected riders join a two-to-three-year development plan. Advanced riding technique, navigation, physical conditioning and endurance are all on the syllabus. National racer Arun Thayappa shows what the pipeline can produce: he made his international debut at the Cierzo Rally in Spain in September 2025, riding a Hero 450 Rally prototype.

Shlok Ghorpade Joins Hero Motorsports

Hero MotoSports has signed 18-year-old Shlok Ghorpade as the first addition under the INDH program. From Satara, Maharashtra, Ghorpade swept the National India Supercross circuit, taking every major title on offer. He now trains alongside world champion Ross Branch and the rest of the core squad. Morocco hosts an intensive race simulation program next, with a Dakar Rally entry the eventual target.

Renewed partnership with Amaury Sport Organization

Hero MotoCorp has extended its partnership with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) for five more years. ASO organises both the Dakar Rally and the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Under the renewed deal, the Indian team keeps its place at the highest level of rally-raid competition.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has taken multiple podiums and victories at the Dakar Rally and in the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship since it was founded. Ross won the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship and is one of the key contenders in the Dakar Rally as well. India now has a presence on the global rally-raid circuit. In the next decade, all eyes are on Hero MotoSports to get their first Dakar win after finishing second overall in 2024.