The team was launched in May this year and the two riders have already participated in a rally in Morocco.
Santosh, the first Indian to finish a Dakar Rally was introduced alongside Portugal's Joaquim Rodrigues as two-members of the Rally Team at the Hero Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT).
Santosh expressed his happiness that his days of trying to finance his participation through "crowd funding" are over.
"Overall, I am really feeling positive. This year, I have had good training especially in Spain," said Santosh.
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"Rally bikes are different from dirt bikes. I have been training on rally bikes. I have done "Roadbook Training" to learn about navigation which helps us assess the roads, as we don't get to train on actual Dakar route.
"Things have changed drastically for me as Hero has backed my aspirations. Its a fantastic opportunity for me." The Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Markus Braunsperger said that they are not aiming to put pressure on two riders.
Asked about what will be the company's takeaway from this new team, Braunsperger said: "I think we have huge opportunity. One opportunity is to bring the brand Hero forward to the world. In terms of product development, our engineers are motivated, putting efforts in serious bikes. This rally will give us feedback with regards to toughest endurance that bike can get along with."
The CTO is also confident that their Rally Team will be seen in national competitions in the near future.
"India is an off-road country with tremendous potential. Here we have the Himalayas and this Rajasthan side. The rally scene over here is very vibrant because in Europe you don't get much off road. It is too small and Africa is too dangerous. South America (Paraguay, Argentina for example) and India are places. We would definitely explore the possibilities," concluded Braunsperger.