03 August,2024 12:01 PM IST | Mumbai | Junisha Dama
Dr Tejas Kothari, periodontist and founder of Learn Off-road Academy, at the training ground in Khopoli
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At Learn Offroad in Pali near Khopoli, a convoy of 55 4x4 SUVs roars freely. Driving through tiny mud tracks, the cars climb uphill, swerve, and pause to take in the countryside. As they roll up the green hills, at every tough turn, an instructor hops off to help drivers manoeuvre as the pouring rain turns mud to muck. Manjunath Bagade is driving his Mahindra Scorpio, repeating the instructions he has learnt to his companion who has come along for a ride. By day, Bagade is a government official and on weekends, he transforms into an off-roading enthusiast.
Bagade began training for off-roading a year ago, and has completed level one. "It's a new challenge each time," he replies when we ask why what excites him about the sport. "I do it for the adventure. Every time you cross an obstacle, there's a sense of achievement. Besides, it's a value add. You gain a lot of technical knowledge about your vehicle in the process."
The thrill of driving off the tarmac road has caught on wildly and the community is rapidly growing across India. As more adventure bikes and 4x4 SUVs launch, the number of off-roading enthusiasts increases. Drivers young and old are challenging their cars with extreme terrain, especially in the monsoon. But the lack of regulations for the sport means drivers need training and an education on safety. That's where off-roading academies come in.
Mahindra Adventure launched its first off-road training academy in 2012, at a three-hour drive away from Mumbai, in Igatpuri. The 30-acre facility is complete with a fleet of Thar training vehicles, so all drivers have to do is sign up and show up. In 2018, Mahindra launched their second academy in Mangaluru, the first of its kind in south India.
Later, the Madras Off-road Academy launched in 2023 in Pudupakkam and became Tamil Nadu's first. And there are motorbike academies too. ProDirt Adventure offers a spacious property in Pune; then there's a remote KTM Adventure Academy that's hosted at different pits across India, and Indimotard Adventures in Bengaluru.
Closer home, Dr Tejas Kothari's Learn Offroad was set up in 2020 in Pali, but his passion for motorsport began a long time ago. "I have been off-roading since 1998," says the south Mumbai resident. "In the pre-internet days, we basically learned by reading books. When I went to Germany to study in 2002-03, I realised that we are far behind the international off-roading scene." In 2013, he got certified by the International 4-Wheel Drive Trainers Association (I4WDTA), a global authority in 4WD professional certification for off-road recovery and driving instruction. He could be one of the only ones in Asia to have it.
Kothari first trained para commandos and marine commandos so that they could navigate through rough terrain, but as the sale of 4x4 SUVs grew in India, civilians queued up to learn too. "Once the second generation Thar launched in 2020, the demand skyrocketed. That's when we felt the need for a base near Mumbai," says Kothari.
It took Kothari three months to build the training ground for Learn Offroad. Only 20 per cent of the obstacles we see today on the 65-acre land were present in nature such as dips and streams along the track. The rest, like stone boulders that create a valley-like dip and narrow tracks, have been added by Kothari, albeit without cutting down trees or damaging the environment.
How good a driver do you have to be to start off-roading? "As long as you have a valid licence and you know how to drive on the road," is good enough for Kothari. "I prefer people who have never tried it before rather than people who have some experience because it's more difficult to make them unlearn," he adds.
In Pune's Maval region, ProDirt Adventure trains bikers. The training programmes include one for beginners and an intermediate level, and include lessons on how to ride safely on gravel and dirt trails; a flat track course is dedicated to practising the fundamentals of sliding a motorcycle.
Mountain biking athlete Nilesh âNelly' Dhumal and his partner Sunny Dhore launched ProDirt Adventure about five years ago when they noticed a gap in the market for formal training in motorbiking as a sport. "When I saw what's available abroad in terms of infrastructure, knowledge, and communities, I realised we lack all of it," Dhumal says, "The only culture here is that of biker groups - the Royal Enfield or BMW groups - who go on a coffee ride and bond. There's no formal way of getting knowledge." Dhumal adds that a formal training in motorbiking sports means one could go on to become a dirt bike racer and compete in Motorcross championships or the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship.
Dhumal has been training bikers about their machines, techniques to ride correctly in tough terrain, and even basics such as how to mount the bike correctly for over a decade. He trains enthusiasts at the KTM Adventure Academy, where he has helped design a curriculum.
So, is off-roading for everyone? Kothari compares it to medical insurance. "You buy health insurance hoping you never have to use it. But if that day arrives, you are happy that you have it," he says, explaining that the skill can be handy if you are stuck or if you encounter a landslide. "You get to explore many parts of the country, and many other countries, which you otherwise couldn't," he adds, talking about the roads literally less travelled.
That's why safety is such a crucial lesson at these academies. Both Kothari and Dhumal don't recommend beginners kicking off training in the monsoon, nor do they list any trails. "We have created a safe environment to practise, that's why we have a ground," says Dhumal. Kothari adds, "Off-roading is not like cycling. It's not like you learn it once and know it for your life. It's a perishable skill; you need to keep practising."
"I used to wonder what can be taught?"says Harshvardhan Khangarot, a student at Learn Offroad, and an NBFC professional by day, living in Mumbai. "When you are off-roading, you have to go against your natural instinct. It's very different from driving on the road; you have to start on a blank slate. We used to be all brawl, no brain." Khangarot highlights that it's at the academy that he first had to unlearn everything he knew. Next, came safety lessons and technical know-how, and the more he practised, Khangarot realised the capabilities of his vehicle. "Your first instinct is to let go of the accelerator, but if you continue to keep your foot on it, your car will easily climb and move forward", he says.
Khangarot first began learning three years ago. He's now under training to be an instructor. For him, the freedom that comes with off-roading is exciting. It's the tiny never-seen-before trails and the beautiful landscapes that he accidentally encounters that push him to take his car out and use it to its maximum.
This freedom comes with confidence about skills and vehicle. "People don't understand the concept of a four-wheel drive [that it is created for off-road driving]. They don't understand the correct path to take [on a trail and the correct direction to keep the tyre in]. When they see an obstacle [like an incline] for the first time, they think âno way will the vehicle go', but by the end of the day at our course, they have crossed over. It's about conquering your fears," says Kothari.
For motorcycling, the training varies and one has to start from scratch. "Everyone thinks they know how to ride a motorcycle," says Dhumal. "The knowledge is generally imparted by a dad, uncle, or friend. They have never trained formally. We first bust many myths at the basic level. For example, many women fear motorcycles simply because it's high for them to climb. But when we teach them how to mount the motorcycle the right way, they are quick to adapt."
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