Yuva Kumar wins inaugural Red Bull Ace of Dirt enduro race

CS Santosh in association with Red Bull has managed to create a one-off event that incorporated enduro racing along with motocross and supercross in an elimination format that saw 32 of the most promising off-road riders across the country battling for the win. Handpicked by CS Santosh himself, these riders were chosen based on their skills on invitation basis. Some of the riders have even participated in the INRC as well as other competitive championships. Finally, it was Yuva Kumar who went through the screening and managed to be the last man standing, seeing through an extremely difficult race format that saw riders being selected in a group of four to begin with. The top two riders from each of the eight heats were selected in the next round. The remaining 16 were again skimmed through a similar format leading to top eight who and so on.

All the riders began the challenge on their motorcycles at first. The only criteria was that the machine should be completely made in India. Which means, we saw an ensemble of Hero Impulse, Honda Xblade, Royal Enfield Himalayan and Hero Xpulse as well. A lot of Hero MotoSports factory riders participated astride the all-new Xpulse 200 Rally as well. The final eight were mandated to ride the rally tested Xpulse 200 to equalise the field and separate the skills of the rider from any advantage the machine held.

The track was designed by CS Santosh himself and was split into six sections. The start line itself saw the riders jumping a log and sprinting to the see-saw which required a hole shot for at least two riders out of four. There was also a deep mud pit which was followed by a tricky incline. Barrel crossing, table-top, log-jumps, tyre-crossing and even berms; the 1.2km long track had it all. The riders weren’t only tested for their skills but for their endurance as well.

The main aim for the event was to bring riders from different off-road disciplines together and give them an all-new, never-seen-before format. The winner, Yuva Kumar was not only handed the keys to an all-new Hero Xpulse 200 but also a training program by CS Santosh himself. CS believes that this event is a great platform to support Motorsport across the country and nurture young talent. We believe that it’s a great start and should make for a great journey for the ultimate goal to aspiring riders - the Dakar rally!