Honda India Talent Hunt 2021 kicks off in Chennai

The IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Hunt 2021 which aims to identify riders with potential to enter the world of professional racing got underway in the city. The first round of the talent hunt organised by Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. at Kart Attack here saw 14 amateur riders from five cities (Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Delhi) take part, a press release said.

The year's inaugural talent hunt round saw riders coming as young as nine years and those aged 17 take part. Interestingly, the round also saw a 14-year-old female rider take part. The candidates went through three rigorous levels of tests. First was a gruelling physical fitness session followed by judging their riding skills and manoeuvrability on the race track.

This was followed by a one-on-one interview with candidates and their parents/guardians to understand both their passion for motorsport and family support. According to Prabhu Nagaraj, Senior Vice President Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd, after a COVID-19 hit 2020, activities were slowly resuming and Honda has reignited the platform of IDEMITSU Honda India Talent Cup.

He said in the long term, Honda's focus is to put young Indian talent on multiple world class platforms from endurance racing to road racing. After shortlisting in level 1, the top candidates of the Talent Hunt in Chennai will be trained and given the opportunity to ride on the track in Level II.

It is from this pool of talent that Honda will pick up the best talent for future development on basis of their track riding. The selected riders will then race in the Honda India Talent Cup CBR150R category in the 2021 season.