Indian team INDE Racing secured a third place finish at Round 1 of the 2024 FIM E-Xplorer World Cup in Osaka, Japan. This happened to be team’s debut outing in the all-electric off-road racing series. India will host the season finale later this year, on November 29-December 1.
- INDE Racing secures P3 in Japan
- HRC wins ahead of Robbie Maddison Racing
- India to host finale on November 29-December 1
INDE Racing on E-Xplorer podium in Japan
E-Xplorer features two categories – Hyperbikes and GT. The Hyperbikes category is for prototype machines with batteries up to 7kWh and a standard MX bike wheelbase. The GT category, meanwhile, is for bikes based on production models. INDE Racing is competing in the latter of these, using KTM bikes. Their entry makes them the first independent Indian team to compete in an FIM-sanctioned global series.
For its debut season, the team has signed reigning E-Xplorer champion Sandra Gomez, six-time Indian National Rally champion Aishwarya Pissay and Canadian racer Spenser Wilton. Out of these, Gomez and Wilton competed in the Japanese season-opener.
Collecting a total of 121 points, INDE Racing finished third overall in Round 1; Gomez even emerged as the fastest female racer at the event. Honda Racing Corporation secured top honours with a total of 132 points, while Robbie Maddison Racing – another new entry for 2024 – finished second overall with 131 points.
“This podium finish is a significant and historic milestone for Indian motorsport on a global stage. It is testament to our hard work and collective effort especially given this is our debut season and the first race we have competed in at this level,” said Abhishek Reddy Kankanala, the founder of Kankanala Sports Group and INDE Racing.
India hosting 2024 FIM E-Xplorer finale
The FIM E-Xplorer World Cup is an endurocross series featuring electric motocross bikes, fielded by a mix of factory and private teams. The courses feature a combination of obstacles such as rock piles and logs, as well as dirt jumps and bumpy sections.
The inaugural season was held across Europe last year. But for its second season, organisers have been keen to expand to Asia. In line with this, the series has signed a nine-year exclusive partnership with Indian sports management company Kankanala Sports Group to race in India.
The 2024 finale will be held here on November 29-December 1. The final location for this will be confirmed later. Speaking with Autocar India, Abhishek Reddy Kankanala said that multiple Indian locations will host rounds across the nine-year deal.
“Across the nine years, we’re definitely going to be considering doing this in the Himalayas. We don’t spoil the environment; we get more attention to a pristine location like the Himalayas. We really want to leverage this nine-year programme to travel across the country,” he said, adding that Goa and Hyderabad are locations being considered as well.
Dipan Sur
