From their 2017 Dakar debut to winning rally stages in 2024, Hero MotoSports is redefining Indian motorsport with grit, global wins, and heart
For a sport which is usually dominated by legacy European giants and factory teams with decades of racing pedigree, a team born out of India is quietly rewriting the script. Hero MotoSports.
Backed by India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, the team has become a rising force on the global rally stage, earning not just podium finishes but the respect of fans and competitors alike.
The Genesis of a Dream
Launched in 2016, Hero MotoSports was never meant to be a vanity project. It was a bold attempt to take Indian engineering and talent to a playing field few dared to enter.
The stakes? Nothing less than the Dakar Rally, widely considered the toughest motorsport event in the world. Thousands of kilometres through deserts, dunes, rocks, and punishing terrain, over two weeks, in countries where the environment itself is the enemy.
For a team from India, a country with limited motorsport infrastructure, no Dakar legacy, and an audience more tuned into cricket, the challenge was colossal. But that’s exactly what made the mission compelling!
Image: Hero MotoSports made its Dakar Rally debut in 2017.
The Bikes, the Riders, the Grit
Hero MotoSports didn’t go in blind.
The team was assembled with a clear eye for balance: a mix of experienced international rally riders like Joan Barreda, Sebastian Buhler, and Ross Branch, and technical brains with a long view on development.
The backbone of their machines? A custom rally-spec motorcycle based on Hero’s off-road technology, iterated and refined for the Dakar’s brutal terrain.
While the machines got faster and tougher, the riders embodied what fans love most: grit, humility, and raw endurance. Whether it was salvaging a stage after a crash, navigating a sandstorm with near-zero visibility, or just finishing in the top 10 on sheer determination, Hero riders became symbols of everything underdog stories are made of.
Image: Riders C.S Santosh and Joaquim Rodrigues at Dakar 2017
An Indian Name on a Global Stage
In January 2024, Hero MotoSports made headlines by winning Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally, with Ross Branch beating out some of the biggest names in rally sport. It wasn’t just a good result; it was a statement. India was no longer here to just participate. It was here to compete.
This wasn’t a flash in the pan. Hero MotoSports has consistently finished strong across rallies like the Andalucia Rally, Morocco Rally, and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Their progression has been deliberate, strategic, and entirely on merit. There are no shortcuts in rally racing, and Hero hasn’t needed any.
Image: Ross Branch finished second overall at Dakar 2024
Winning Hearts Beyond the Finish Line
But what’s truly made Hero MotoSports stand out is the way they’ve won fans, not just with speed, but with spirit.
Rally racing is unpredictable. Engines fail. Riders fall. Navigation errors cost hours. And yet, time and again, the Hero team has picked itself back up. Their social media channels reflect a team that’s open about its struggles, honest about its goals, and never afraid to laugh at itself in the middle of chaos.
They’ve become a team that feels human, a rarity in a sport that often feels remote, elitist, or overly polished. In fact, many fans now follow Hero not just for the results, but for the journey. In a sport filled with corporate sheen, Hero brings something different: heart.
Repping India in a New Arena
Hero MotoSports aren’t just winning in motorsport. They are shifting perceptions.
For decades, Indian vehicles and engineering were seen through a narrow lens, focused on affordability, not performance. But Hero’s rally bikes, built with rugged reliability and top-tier tech, are challenging that stereotype.
At the same time, they’re showing Indian audiences a whole new kind of national pride. Seeing the tricolour fly in the Dakar bivouac isn’t just cool, it’s cultural. It’s a reminder that Indian teams can compete, build world-class machines, and thrive in spaces once thought to be out of reach.
What Makes Them Different
Unlike legacy teams backed by oil money or decades of championship muscle, Hero operates lean, smart, and purpose-driven. Their progression has come from:
- Relentless R&D: With in-house tech support from Hero’s massive manufacturing muscle, the rally program has the resources to develop, test, and iterate, fast.
- Global Talent, Indian Backbone: By mixing international rally expertise with Indian engineering, they’ve built a team that thinks globally but delivers with local precision.
- Fans First: Their storytelling game is tight, rider interviews, race-day recaps, behind-the-scenes from the desert. It all builds a loyal following that feels emotionally invested.
The Road Ahead
Hero MotoSports aren’t done. If anything, they’re just hitting their stride.
The ultimate goal? A Dakar podium finish, maybe even a win. And with each passing year, that dream feels more real. Their bikes are getting faster. Their riders are getting hungrier. And their fanbase is swelling.
They’re not just racing, they’re representing. For India. For rally fans tired of the usual winners. For dreamers who know the desert doesn’t care where you’re from, it only cares how far you’ll push.
Hero MotoSports is proof that greatness doesn’t always come from tradition. Sometimes it’s born from ambition, forged in the dust, and powered by the will to change the story. And that’s exactly what they’re doing, rewriting what it means to be an Indian team on the global motorsport map.
