Tackling brutal, unfamiliar landscapes isn’t a casual weekend hobby for Matthias Walkner—it has been his day job. Now, the 2018 Dakar Rally champion is heading straight to Bengaluru as part of the KTM Adventure Rally Extreme.
Since kicking off in 1978, the Dakar Rally has spent nearly five decades pushing machines and riders to their absolute limits across the world’s harshest environments. KTM stands as one of the most dominant manufacturers in the history of the event, clinching 21 Dakar Rally wins, including an astonishing streak of 18 consecutive victories. Crucially, the hard-earned lessons from those decades in rally racing directly drive the engineering philosophy behind KTM’s road-going adventure motorcycles.
Competing in Dakar means spending whole days traversing massive distances over constantly shifting ground. Racers must read the terrain, make split-second navigational calls, conserve physical stamina, and handle whatever mechanical drama the motorcycle throws in their direction. On any given day, the obstacle might be the terrain itself, brutal weather patterns, or simply the grit required to get back on the move after things go sideways.
Walkner has tackled all of it. Because of that, his Bengaluru trip holds plenty of value not just for competitive racers, but for anyone who loves piloting an adventure motorcycle. Core rally disciplines—such as assessing unpredictable trails, navigating efficiently, recovering a downed bike, carrying out trailside repairs, and keeping a cool head—remain invaluable on any ride long after the stopwatch stops running.
The tour fits into KTM’s broader push to build hands-on experiences for the community, mirroring initiatives like the track-focused KTM Cup alongside off-road events like the KTM Adventure Rally Extreme. The objective is straightforward: offer riders regular chances to get out, learn, race, and tap into what makes motorcycling special.
Local Bengaluru riders can catch Walkner in person on 15 September at the NIMHANS Convention Centre. Open to all motorcycle owners and motorcycling enthusiasts, this Face-to-Face session offers an intimate, first-hand look into his Dakar experiences, his motorsport career, and the personal milestones that defined him as a racer.
Following the talk, things move to the dirt. A select group of 50 KTM Adventure owners will head to the Tribal Adventure Cafe on 16 and 17 September for an exclusive Ride & Train programme. Over two days, these riders will dive deep into rally mindset coaching, roadbook navigation, motorcycle recovery, self-recovery techniques, and trailside repairs. Participants will then put their new skills on the line during a scored rally competition staged on production-spec KTM 390 Adventure motorcycles.
To raise the stakes, the top-performing rider from Bengaluru will win an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe, earning an advanced roadbook navigation training session alongside Walkner himself.
For a city where a weekend is all the excuse needed to point a front wheel towards fresh tarmac, this visit offers something rare: direct insights from a rider who spent his career racing where roads barely exist. That uncertainty is precisely what makes adventure riding so compelling—nobody truly knows what waits around the next bend, but having the skills to handle it is where the fun begins.
