When you dedicate a serious amount of time to something, put in the hard work, and keep going in the face of adversities; that is when you achieve something special. Rehan Khan’s story tells you just that. Based out of Delhi, Rehan has been taking part in offroading events for the past 25-26 years. And in the pursuit of his passion, he has gathered more than 100 podiums in different events, making him the only Indian to have achieved such a feat. 

In addition to racing, he also modifies and prepares motorcycles for rallying and motocross at his shop, a shop he has been running for more than two decades. Being a racer, he has participated in more than 170 events in dirt tracks, motocross, and rallying combined. It all started in 1986-1987 when Pune used to host a round of the International Championship. Rehan states that this was when the motocross bug bit him. 

After coming to Delhi, the first event he participated in was the Studd Motocross, in 1995. Once the ball got rolling, there was no stopping Rehan. He has participated in the biggest rallies in India such as Raid de Himalaya, Desert Storm, Indian Baja, and Dakshin Dare. 

According to Rehan, Raid de Himalaya is the toughest race with it lasting 6 days with temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius in many places. Regardless, he has won multiple podiums there. Desert Storm is the second toughest, in Rehan’s opinion, because of having to ride in the sand, tackling large dunes and temperatures easily over 40 degrees Celsius in the 6-day race. 

In addition to racing and preparing motorcycles for racing, Rehan also trains the army and the police for motorcycle stunts. He holds many records for building unique automatic rotating frames for stunts. He has trained the police and the army in Djibouti, East Africa and is the first Indian to have trained people on an international level. During his stint in Djibouti, he designed a frame like no other where 4 people rotate and one does so in front of the motorcycle’s wheel! He has been a part of many commercials too. 

While he has a lot of distinctions in whatever he has done, Rehan has also suffered from numerous crashes. The most serious one was during a night stage of Indian Baja 2016 when he lost his balance and the ligament in his left leg was severely damaged. Yet, competing with a torn ligament, he finished second in his group. 

So injuries have never stopped him and he believes that in adventure sports, injuries can be minimized or mitigated but not completely avoided. Despite his skill, and focus on safety, his hand has been broken multiple times and it is held together by a place and seven screws. But nothing deters him from pursuing his passion. 

To all the young bikers in all walks of motorcycling; touring, offroading, road racing and so on, he’d like to say that safety comes first and one must always wear the proper riding gear before setting out on their motorcycles.