There was no denying the fact the cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni
was the cynosure of all eyes at the Bike Festival of India held at the Buddh
International Circuit in Greater Noida on October 4 and 5, 2014. But among the
bikes displayed there, it was the Indian Scout from Polaris family that attracted
more than its share of admirers.
The Bike Festival of India was
an initiative by Event Capital & Rhiti Sports.
It was the first time that the
Indian Scout was displayed in an event in the country.
Polaris showcased four bikes in the two-day festival including
the Indian Scout , Indian Chief Classic, Indian Chief Vintage and Indian
Chieftain from the stable of Indian Motorcycle.
“The launch of the Indian Scout has stirred a wave of
enthusiasm in India. The bike festival gave us a perfect platform to display
the Indian Scout for the first time in India. We are confident that it would be
a huge success here. The Indian Scout will be available at an ex showroom Delhi
price of Rs 11.99 lakh. Bookings for
Scout are open and delivery will start from January 2015,” said Pankaj Dubey,
Managing Director, Polaris India Pvt. Ltd.
Equally excited was Sandeep Bansil, Dealer Principal, Indian
Motorcycle Gurgaon. "We are extremely thrilled about Indian Motorcycle
participation in this biking extravaganza. It is a unique platform to foster
biking culture in the country and we are happy that the Indian Scout is being
displayed for the first time in India at this event," he said.
The Indian Scout has a liquid-cooled engine – an efficient
and reliable 69 cubic inch V-twin engine offering 100 bhp of performance for
impressive power on demand.
Meanwhile, the second and
final day of BFI at the Buddh Circuit saw Atinder Jeet and Anirudh Rived winning the
XDL Championship finals, which were being judged by stars of stunt biking,
Chris Tice and Aaron Twite. The Drag racing championship had 28 participants
whereas the Top gun saw 22 riders battling it on the tracks for a podium finish
organised by Rongom Tagore, Founder Elite Octane. The three winners in Top Gun
Championship were Imran Khan, Simran, and Gurvinder who recorded the fastest
lap time in 3 different categories (250-400CC, 650-800CC, 1000CC and above
respectively). The Drag Champions were Rizwan Khan for two categories while
Riyaz Khan recorded the fastest time. Mohammed Riyaz won the wheelie class drag
championship.
Dhoni was the face of the
festival and he enthralled the audience with his biking antics and his ride on
the tracks on Yamaha R15. BFI showcased a special garage for Dhoni which had 12
bikes from his personal collection on display including the very famous and
rare model, Hellcat X132 Confederate. Dhoni visited his garage and put on his
biking gear to hit the tracks.
The Bike Festival of India is
the first biking event to be regulated by a motorsport body, FMSCI. BFI is
powered by Gulf Oil, Courage Partner – Mountain Dew, festival Partner – KTM.
TVS Motor Company was one of
the exhibitors along with Indian Motorcycles, Aprilla, Triumph and Moto Guzzi.
Bikes displayed at TVS team building included the Apache RTR, RTR 160 road
racing bike and RTR 300 FX supercross bike.
Arun Pandey, CMD, Rhiti Sports
said the Bike festival of India was an initiative to bring together people with
passion for biking.
Picture of Pankaj Dubey and Sandeep Bansal of Polaris India with the Indian Scout