the goan I network
VASCO
Goan biker Raees Khan, 48, successfully completed the Raid de Himalaya in the 850cc to 1200cc moto adventure category in the toughest motorsport event in the country earlier this month. He completed the ride on a BMW R 1200 GS adventure bike that has the right answers to every challenge, whether it is off-road, rocks, snow, ice or sand.
The participants had to face extreme conditions across Kargil, Zanskar and Ladakh over a span of four days. Khan won the third place in the moto adventure class which is India’s toughest biking championship. While Hindu Naik from Bengaluru finished first, Haresh Bathija from Pune was second ahead of Khan. A total of 20 participants enrolled from across India but only 14 participated in the race.
“I feel on top of the world on completing the track on my new bike I bought six months ago. I have not trained myself for any adventure track or off-roading. Riding through the Himalayan hills was the biggest challenge. My main aim was to complete the raid as I was doing it for the first time,” the Goan rider said.
Khan has been riding since the age of 18 and has covered over 10 lakh kms till date on bikes ranging from 100cc to 1200cc. He has been riding superbikes for the last 15 years such as Honda, Suzuki, Ducati, BMW and Yamaha.
He goes on to explain what pushed him to participate in the event. As he was chatting with his friends in Pune, they told him that they are participating in a motorsport event. “I applied for the competition after the entry date had passed. I called up Himalayan Motorsports Association and spoke to Vijay Parmar and requested him to enter my name in place of one rider who backed out last minute due to health issues. Very thankful to him for giving me the opportunity,” Khan revealed.
The biggest challenge for the bikers was fighting against the extreme climate with low oxygen levels, difficult terrains and temperature dropping to minus 16 degrees. Four days of riding in the terrains of Leh, 8000 ft to 17000 ft, which was the toughest terrain.
“The roads are deserted, had no habitation, no houses and at some places we didn’t come across villages as well. The entire road was very dangerous as it had snow on both the sides apart from black ice at many points; wind blast, hairpin bends at 45 degree, slopes filled with pebbles and stones.
“Riding a 1200cc BMW bike weighing 350kg with my weight being 100 kg was a challenge in the world’s highest motorable battlefield. We used to ride minimum of 250 kms per day in total isolation and a slightest mistake could prove costly,” Khan explained.
The temperature on the first day of the race to Pang via Tanglangla was minus 16 degrees and by the time he climbed 17,300 ft his body gave up. According to Khan, the everyday schedule of riding was a challenge as the bikers had to wake up at 4 am and line up for the race before 5.30 am to avoid disqualification. Khan had never participated in a riding championship before and this was his first attempt, which he took on as the biggest challenge of his life.
