New events and attractions for IBW 2016

In the run to India’s biggest biking festival – India Bike Week(IBW) 2016, the event agency Seventy Event Media Group (70 EMG) and travel and lifestyle channel FOX life have announced the new events that they have lined up.

It has been confirmed that Harley-Davidson and DSK Benelli have mystery bike unveilings planned for the event, while Triumph will announce the Indian premiere of the new Bonneville Street Twin.  

Motorcycle stars - This year’s Moto Trials Show will have the international King of Trials, Dougie Lampkin. Dougie recently had his ninth victory at the Scottish Six Day Trial (SSDT) Winner, to add to the twelve FIM Trial World Championships and a host of other awards won over a career stretching back to 1993. He also holds seven outdoor World titles, five indoor World championships, ninety-nine Grand Prix wins, four victories at the Trial des Nations as part of the Great Britain squad, and nine SSDT victories. This champion of the trails will be showcasing his skills and letting fans take a live peek in to the motorsport world. 

Keeping our local talent in the spotlight, CEAT, the festival’s official safety partner are bringing C. S. Santosh to the festival this year. After being the first Indian to compete in the legendarily grueling off-road Dakar rally endurance race in 2015, he will be sharing his experiences in supercross, motocross, and rally riding with the crowd. He has won three MRF National Supercross Championships, two Gulf National Dirt Track Championships, and two Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm rallies. C.S. Santosh will also be hosting a CEAT safety session for the crowd, offering key insights into the riding safety drawn from his experience at national and international rides. Santosh will also be discussing some of his most exciting rides and his passion for biking, as a part of the Big Trip.

Movie Time – This year IBW is set to see its first ever Film Festival, featuring travel films from all over the world. The movies showcased will be across three categories, and judged by a panel consisting of celebrated film directors and writers; also joining the judging panel is Gaurav Jani. Gaurav is a biking aficionado and national award winning documentary and filmmaker, whose love for travel and the open road led him to make films like One Crazy Ride and Riding Solo to the Top of the World. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners in the various categories, while a separate competition will encourage the submission of homemade riding movies, with the entries featured on the IBW website.

Sound Check - India Bike Week will enthral music junkies of every stripe with acts like the MIDIval Punditz, The Other People, Thaalavattam, and Soulmate, among many others performing over the course of two days.

Sharing is caring - The Big Trip is a place where you can interact with legends of the road as they share stories gathered over the course of several decades. Some of the speakers this year are Bullet Yatra blogger Dhruv Dholakia; Youhan Mubaraki and Debaashish Ghosh from HOI, who will outline their 25,000 km ASEAN Corridor ride to Singapore and back on their Harleys; and Alankar Misra, who goes by the name of Sole Traveller and did a Trans-America ride in addition to several pan-India rides.   

Dirty20 - This year IBW is also set to host the Dirty20 Enduro Challenge. Open for general participation by amateur enduro and adventure riders, this high-octane biking challenge is set to test man and machine to their limits, with participants standing a chance to win total cash prize of Rs 75,000. 

Honour Roll - The IBW Mechanic Honour Roll, in association with Shell, is a nationwide campaign that seeks to recognize talented mechanics, with the requisite criteria being innovation, customization, and a general contribution to the culture of biking in India. 

Shell Power - Shell will present a POWER ZONE, featuring the Dyno Wars, Power Bikes display, and a Wheelie Machine that allows anyone to experience a wheelie without the danger of toppling over. 

Stunt Championship - Mountain Dew will present the IBW National Stunt Championship, with this edition bearing witness to India’s finest stunt teams battling it out in elimination rounds. Over 40 entries have been received for this competition, and 8 shortlisted teams will perform in front of two judges – FMX champion Shyam Kothari and stunt expert Bhuvan Choudhary. 

Custom motorcycles - A potential glimpse into the future of biking is on offer with the Innovation Bike display, with several models being showcased; including the Monowheel which, as the name suggests, is a single-wheel vehicle derived from the concept of planetary gear box, and the prototype Air-O-Bike, with an engine designed to run on compressed air.

Walk the Ramp – This year will see the launch of the IBW Main Street. Serving as the pulsing centre of the festival, this path runs through the heart of IBW and acts as a conduit for all of its disparate parts to come together in a riot of colour, noise, and celebration. Strut your stuff down the pathway and dress up for the occasion, and you’re sure to be joined by packs of riders in their club colours, solo riders keen to show off their crazy rides, and all the weird and wonderful individuals in outfits of their own that are sure to catch everyone’s attention. Lined with bars and tents, this is the street that never sleeps, with bikes revving, cameras flashing, festival-goers carousing, and DJs adding to the din on bridges suspended overhead. 

Bike Raffle - India Bike Week is also set to sweeten the deal for loyal fans flocking to the event with the introduction of the IBW Bike Raffle. A custom-made Royal Enfield by Mean Green Customs will be given out to one lucky IBW ticket holder! 

For Newbies - This year, the event organizers have devoted themselves to encouraging riders hesitant to take the plunge to set off on the trip. Special initiatives have been undertaken to ensure that the ‘Great Migration to Goa’ won’t be a lonely one, with over 300 biking clubs across the country networked with to help contact and manage riders interested in heading to Goa. Solo and club riders scattered across cities in India will be able to journey down through highlighted feeder roads and link up on highways as they ride to their ultimate destination. The safety of its riders is of paramount concern to the organizers, who have established the Ride to IBW: three main feeder routes to Goa (Delhi via Mumbai and Pune, Chennai via Bangalore, and from Hyderabad) to be listed on the IBW website with each city’s start dates, marshaling by experienced Road Captains, and an ICU Ambulance support en route to the festival.

This year, IBW will be held on the 19th and 20th of February at Vagator in Goa.