RALLY RAIDER

One more Indian motorsport star shines bright. Catching up with Ashish Raorane, India’s next Dakar hope

Motoring World: The 2021 Dakar Rally is due to be held in January in Saudi Arabia. What does it take for a privateer to take part in an event like this? And what are the costs that one needs to account for to participate?

Ashish Raorane: The Dakar Rally is arguably the biggest motorsport event in the world and it requires a singleminded focus to get to the start line. Being a privateer means that apart from training on the bike, you also juggle other ancillary tasks like entry formalities, raising sponsorships, logistics, travel formalities. Visas, for instance, which are now the biggest challenge I’m facing as embassies are still closed due to COVID-19. The list of things to accomplish is endless and it’s no wonder that getting to the start line is considered the toughest part. The cost for the Dakar Rally runs close to ` 60 lakh; there are other added costs related to bike preparation, physical training and feeder races as well.

MW: How has Luminox along with other sponsors brought in changes in your preparation for Dakar?