Dakar rider, Ashish Raorane, has decided to share his racing experience and knowledge through his latest venture, Off Piste Racing (OPR).
You may all know Ashish Raorane as the rider who decided to brave the Dakar as a privateer in its most difficult “Malle Moto” class. In that category, no one is allowed to work on the motorcycles except the riders themselves. In addition to the Dakar experience, Raorane has also gained a lot of knowledge about off-road riding and racing over the years. He intends to use Off Piste Racing as a platform to share his knowledge and off-road expertise.
Under the Off Piste Racing umbrella, three services will be offered; DirtFit, RallyScape and RallyVerse. We were invited to the first session of DirtFit and yours truly attended it. DirtFit is a programme that focuses on the fitness needed to ride a motorcycle and these sessions are particularly useful for those who ride off-road, trails, enduro and so on. The programme covers the three pillars of motorcycle fitness – strength, endurance, and balance and stability.
For the first session, we stuck to balance and stability. Using simple exercises and minimal equipment such as a busa ball and stability pad, Raorane showed us the basics of being stable on the motorcycle when riding off-road. We learnt a lot of surprising things such as nine out of 10 right-handed motorcyclists are stronger with their right foot but more stable on the left. When riding off-road, it is essential to have the same level of balance and stability in both legs. This was among the list of things that were covered during the first session. More importantly, he pointed out what we are most likely to do wrong, thus establishing a good foundation to work on. Raorane has designed the entire programme in such a way that it will improve a rider’s fitness and performance on the motorcycle. For more updates on when this session will be launched, watch this space.
RallyScape will be used to train adventure and enduro riders across all skill levels. It will consist of training programmes specifically designed by Raorane himself. The first of these sessions will be a Level One programme that is slated to go live on 14 November, 2021. RallyVerse is a stepping stone for those who want to level up from trail riding into the exciting world of off-road motorsport. Participants will find themselves tackling all aspects of competitive riding, training on and off the motorcycle, and nutrition. Additionally, they will also be trained to develop the right mindset to excel in rallies.
Commenting on this new venture, Ashish Raorane said, “By bringing these three offerings under OPR, we are able to close the gap that we have seen for motorcyclists who want to explore not just casual off-roading but also rallying in India as well as internationally. We want to bring together all my experience and use it to make the process simple and seamless for novices and serious off-roaders aiming to get into the riveting world of rallying.”
Story: Joshua Varghese
Also Read: Fitness Mantra of Ashish Raorane – Rally Raid Motorcycle Racer
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