Aravind and Tanveer to lead TVS team in PanAfrica Rally

India's Aravind KP and Abdul Wahid Tanveer will lead Sherco TVS Factory's four-member rider squad in the PanAfrica Rally in Morocco starting September 8.

The team also has the French brother duo of Michael and Adrien Metge, a statement said on Monday.

This will be the first rally of the Pre-Dakar series for Aravind, who has recovered completely from his injury.

After the successful completion of the Merzouga Rally last year, this will be Tanveer's debut at the PanAfrica Rally.

"It is a good feeling to be back to the familiar grind of International Rallies. The last six months have been an amalgamation of character-building, developing mental strength and improving physical fitness," Aravind said.

"Over the last one month, I could pack some time on my Dakar machine and I cannot wait to participate in the PanAfrica Rally. This will test my mental and physical readiness, especially navigating through the dunes of the Moroccan desert," he added.

The Rally is organised in the high dunes of the Sahara Desert, where the soaring temperatures is only one of the several harsh conditions that the racers will have to battle. The Rally is seen as a learning ground for the teams and racers as they gear up for Dakar Rally in January next year.

"Sherco TVS Factory Rally team's last outing at the PanAfrica Rally resulted in a double podium finish and gave our team a lot of confidence. This time, we have a promising line-up of racers with Michael Metge, who won the Baja Aragon Rally 2018, Adrien Metge, Abdul Wahid Tanveer, and Aravind, who has made a steady recovery," Team Manager, TVS Racing, B Selvaraj, said.