Raiders of the continent: Deepak Kamath and GH Basavraj

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Biking is all about adventure, thrill, fun, passion and challenge. What if biking was across the continents circumnavigating throughout the globe? Imagine the amount of passion and willpower it involves to overcome all the challenges while excursing all around the world on a bike! And the most amazing thing is travelling successfully across the globe on a Motorcycle MADE IN INDIA. Yes, the two young bikers Deepak Kamath and GH Basavraj are aptly named as Raiders of the continent because they have achieved the impossible.

Who are Deepak Kamath and GH Basavraj?

The duo holds a record for being the very first Bikers from India to go around the globe. It took them 119 days to cover the distance of 42,038 km across six continents. Out of the 119 days of the voyage, they spent complete 49 days on their motorcycle. They completed their journey without mobile service and satellite phones, neither did they have GPS nor any space-age technology like we enjoy today! Just with the help of paper map which they bought from AAA (The American Automobile Association), they circumnavigated throughout the globe.

The Yezdi Castrol Continental Raid

Their challenging journey was popular by the name The Yezdi Castrol Continental Raid. It was backed by Ideal Jawa, CEAT Tyres and Castrol etc. which helped Kamath and Basavaraj in their expedition. They got great help in form of specially designed wheels, instant shipping of spare parts. Instant help and support were also provided by the sponsors. Their ride partner was Yezdi Roadking which has been manufactured by Ideal Jawa Ltd. (1978 to1996). This Indian company takes pride in being the most favourite amongst bikers who are passionate about vintage vehicles, others being Yahama RX 100, Rajdoot etc.

Let's hear their experience!

The famous duo shared their experiences about how tough and thrilling their expedition was besides being adventurous and daring. They had their share of challenges as it was not just all fun and games. They had to face a lot before getting the popular title and making their name in The Limca Book of Records. Mr Deepak Kamath recalls the best part of their journey as “As the bike was loaded in the passenger baggage section (at the JFK International Airport, New York), the bike came out on a conveyor belt with people staring at this crazy thing. Knowing that we flew together, many helped us get this off the conveyor belt. We started pushing the bike through the Green Channel, where we could hear the Immigration Officer say, "ONLY YOU INDIANS CAN DO IT". I could clearly hear the sarcastic tone over my shoulder. I politely, for fear of getting stopped for more questions, said, "YES, YOU BET!" and gave him my most wide smile!!

Greater goals, harder work!

Although they had a good amount of support and sponsorship of leather jackets and sturdy helmets, the road journey was still very tough, not even close to comfortable. As Mr Kamath recalled "We had our share of falls too! Once, just after the Nullarbor Plains (Australia), when we were doing about 120 kmph, the rear tyre gave away sending us flying off the bike! Our helmets saved our lives and I am quite sure of that…while falling, I could distinctly hear my helmet being dragged along the rough surface. The bike was damaged. We had to install a new tube and we were back on the road again. The evening we camped in a backpackers lodge, and then moved on to Perth, where our Australian leg ended. We had covered 4934 km in 5 days, with a total of 15 days in Australia." In the year 1994, the two youngsters with an impossible dream in their heart, set off to make it possible. They had planned their lifetime journey for 4 years which led them to success. What they achieved around 23 years ago was just incredible and worth applauding.

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