KTM Launches Adventure Rally Extreme Training Program in India with Dakar Champion Matthias Walkner
KTM is bringing 2018 Dakar Rally champion Matthias Walkner to India to train 100 KTM Adventure owners in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
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What Happened
KTM has announced KTM ADVENTURE RALLY EXTREME, an exclusive rally experience that gives KTM Adventure owners the rare opportunity to ride alongside, interact with, and learn directly from Matthias Walkner, the 2018 Dakar Rally Champion. Inspired by the world's toughest rally, the event begins in Mumbai on September 11 and travels to Bengaluru on September 15, marking the first time Indian riders can take part in an immersive rally training program led by a Dakar champion. The program builds on the KTM Adventure Rally introduced earlier this year, which gave riders globally benchmarked adventure riding experiences.
KTM ADVENTURE RALLY EXTREME begins in Mumbai.
The experience travels to Bengaluru.
In each city, the first day is open to all riders and enthusiasts, where Walkner shares his Dakar journey, experiences, and lessons from competing at the highest level of off-road motorsport. The following two days are reserved exclusively for 100 KTM Adventure owners selected through a national application process assessed by a KTM expert panel. Across Mumbai and Bengaluru, participants join four training batches of 25 riders each, ensuring focused learning and direct interaction with Walkner.
- Training modules led by Walkner covering rally mindset, physical conditioning, roadbook navigation, motorcycle self-recovery, and trail-side repairs
- A scored rally challenge aboard the production-spec KTM 390 Adventure, the same motorcycle available to Indian customers
- The top-performing rider from each city earns an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe for a two-day advanced roadbook navigation experience under Walkner's guidance
“Very few riders ever get the opportunity to spend time with a Dakar champion, let alone ride alongside one. KTM ADVENTURE RALLY EXTREME is our way of bringing that world closer to Indian KTM owners. It is not just about riding; it is about experiencing the mindset, preparation, and resilience that define Dakar through someone who has lived it. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that only KTM can offer.”
“I am excited to visit India for the first time and meet KTM riders who share a passion for adventure. KTM ADVENTURE RALLY EXTREME is about much more than riding – it’s about learning the mindset, navigation, and skills that make a complete adventure rider. I look forward to sharing my Dakar experience with them.”
Walkner's career includes the 2018 Dakar Rally title, the 2015 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, and three Dakar podium finishes. The Dakar Rally is widely regarded as the toughest motorsport event in the world; the 2026 edition covered close to 8,000 kilometers across Saudi Arabia, with shifting dunes, rocky terrain, and marathon stages. KTM, based in Mattighofen, Austria, has 21 Dakar victories including 18 consecutive wins, and the KTM 390 Adventure shares its engineering philosophy with the Dakar-winning KTM 450 Rally. Since entering India in 2012, KTM has grown to more than 450 stores and nearly half a million customers, making India its largest global market; KTM is Europe's largest motorcycle manufacturer and the partnership between Bajaj Auto Limited and KTM dates to 2007.
Why this matters
For the first time, Indian riders can train directly with a Dakar champion in an immersive rally program — access usually reserved for factory teams and professional racers. The event gives 100 KTM Adventure owners hands-on rally skills and sends the top rider from each city on an all-expenses-paid advanced roadbook experience in Europe. It also underscores KTM's push to build owner experiences in India, its largest global market.
Terms in This Story
- Dakar Rally
- An annual off-road endurance rally widely considered the toughest motorsport event in the world, held across deserts over thousands of kilometers.
- Roadbook
- A set of navigation instructions used by rally riders to follow a route, with distances, headings, and symbols marking the terrain.
- Production-spec
- A vehicle that is built exactly as sold to customers, without racing modifications.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.