Hero XTracks off-roading experience gets a roaring response in Pune

Off-road enthusiasts in Pune were in for a treat as the city hosted the seventh edition of the Hero MotoCorp XTracks off-roading event, after the successful conclusion of the multi-city event in Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Delhi/NCR, Kolkata and Lucknow . Around 350 enthusiasts from all around the city attended the event to experience the Hero MotoCorp XPulse 200, as yet the country’s most accessible adventure bike in a specially-curated off-road location in Wadki, near Hadapsar, on the outskirts of Pune.

So what was the XTracks event all about?

The Xpulse Xtracks event serves as a kind of starter for riders who are eager to learn the limits of grip and handling that off-road bikes are capable of, while in a safe environment and under the guidance of expert riders and the watchful eyes of track marshals and qualified first-aid staff.

The day-long event, which started at 7 am, was free of charge and open to all off-road enthusiasts irrespective of the bike they owned. Hero MotoCorp, however, was on hand with 10 Xpulse 200 bikes, which they were providing to the participants for one lap of the approximately 800m long off-road trail. Moreover, Hero MotoCorp had more than just an adrenaline rush in store for the participants, as the riders were also briefed on the critical skills needed to negotiate off-road terrain, thereby enhancing their off-road riding abilities.

The participants were first provided with a safety briefing which stressed on them to not try to race each other and go around the track at their own speed, to understand the capabilities of the bike and improve their own riding skills, and inculcate safe riding habits.

Following the briefings, the riders were led by riders who are a part of Hero’s motorsport wing around the track at a speed that was though not too quick for the riders, still was fast enough for them to feel the adrenaline rush of scaling the various obstacles.

The tracks included obstacles such as a single jump, triple jump, water-crossing, rock-crossing, whoops, ascending and descending corners, and finished with a table-top which led back to the starting point. The riders, too, were a mix of skill sets, with some riders with professional or even competitive experience peppering a crowd of mostly beginners (such as yours truly). The overall event was well planned and was mostly incident free, except for a few minor cases of riders stalling their bikes on some of the turns (suffice to say, the services of the ambulance on site weren’t needed throughout the day).

To know more about the Pune edition of the Xpulse Xtracks, watch out for the February edition of Fast Bikes India magazine.