Ashish Raorane's Off Piste Racing venture announces Taste Of Dakar programme

The Dakar Rally. Arguably the most grueling endurance race in the world. The ultimate test of man and machine, it’s impossible to convey what Dakar racers have to face and go through while traversing its treacherous terrain. That is exactly why the only Indian to participate in the Dakar Rally in the Malle Moto class — Ashish Raorane, with his racing venture Off Piste Racing, has announced the 'Taste of Dakar'. This is an event which promises to give beginners as well as advanced riders a small glimpse of the relentless Dakar Rally.

To be held in the Changthang Desert in Eastern Ladakh. The Taste of Dakar will be an 7-day tour, which will take you into the heart of Eastern Ladakh, through these largely unexplored places and high-altitude plateaus. It will consist of hard packed trails, single tracks winding through valleys, high altitude desert and everything in between.

According to Ashish Raorane, this is an event designed for all levels of riders (adventure enthusiasts, novices or experienced), who would like to explore and train at the same time, under the watchful eye of the OPR team, who have come to be known for their meticulously designed training programs.

For its first edition, the Taste of Dakar will be a tour & training combo, with an introduction to rally terms commonly used at the Dakar and other cross country rallies. To guide and train you throughout this ride will be Dakar Rally pilot, Ashish Raorane, who will share his experiences of rally racing & his Dakar journey.

Day one will see the arrival of all the participants at Leh, which will be the Taste of Dakar's starting point, where riders will also receive a ride brief by Ashish himself. On the second day participants will visit a training site and will be trained to set up their bikes as well as ride off road to get familiarised with their newly set bikes. Day three is when the riding will commence, with the first stage set from Leh to Hanle. This will be an 8-hour, 260km ride mainly on tarmac roads which runs along the Indus river. The fourth day is when the real off roading will commence. It will be a training loop around Hanle itself and the participants will get a small glance of what to expect from the fifth day, which will take them to Umling La, the world's highest motorable road. Day six will see the rider traversing the hills, with some fast off road trails. The final destination will be set for Tso Moriri. Day seven, the last day, will see the riders returning back to Ladakh, while encountering some Tibetan wildlife.

So if you too are looking forward to sampling the Dakar rally in brief, bookings for the Taste of Dakar are open now and you can book your slot for an amount of Rs 20,000. The full event, with accommodation, food and support vehicles will cost you Rs 99,000. And for your convenience, the fees are planned for you to be paid in instalments. Head to the Off Piste Racing website to get more details and register yourself for the Taste of Dakar programme.