History of Rider Mania

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Year 2002-2003:

It all began with a simple thought – Let’s Ride and Let,s Meet !! A few clubbies from three of the older clubs in south india came up with the idea of having a grand Jamboree of fellow Enfield riders . Vernon Dias, then a member of Madras Bulls Motorcycle Club (who was also part of Inddiethumpers one point of time), decided to take the initiative and add mass to this floating thought bubble. His vision grew wings and he soon found himself conceptualizing the meet and giving it an identity. In order to do that, he needed an apt event name & a logo to go with. And this he did himself, personally. It was Vermon’s idea that the event be called “Rider Mania” and he designed the logo that we all relate to, till date. Thus, Rider Mania was born and was held in Goa on the 10th of Jan, in the year 2003 at the Old Anchor resort in south goa . Approximately, 70 bikers participated.

The event had its fair share of speed-bumpers. Resistance and skepticism came from both quarters, within and outside. The key sponsors were some of the OE suppliers to RE namely Veedol oil, Armstrong shock absorbers and Pricol. RE also sponsored dinner on one of the evenings. Siddharth Lal the then CEO of Royal Enfield was also present at the event .

Thank you, Vernon

Year 2004:

The New Year paved a new path. It brought with along many surprises and twisted tales. For the benefit of the masses, Rider Mania 2004 was organized in Goa on the 10th of Jan at Riva resorts in North Goa and approximately 130 bikers attended. It was executed by RE on behalf of the community .

Year 2005:

It was decided to be a rotating event moving from place to place ,year on year . Bombay based club, Inddie Thumpers of Mumbai, volunteered to host the Rider Mania. The news rubbed a lot of people the wrong way but the club held its ground. It was then that bikers from different clubs got together and made a few landmark decisions. Some of which were: The event/fest/carnival was to be an annual affair, it would be the sole responsibility of the motorcycle clubs to organize, solo riders could participate, preferably new locations etc. This proved to be a turning point for RIDER MANIA as an event. Many clubs, new and old, participated, solo riders were encouraged and riders nationwide got the sense of what brotherhood meant. The event was held at Raigarh Resorts, Panvel on the 8th of Jan. Over 360 riders participated. The event was a raving success and Rider Mania or “RM” became the most popular riders’ meet in the Nation and a second skin to riders of all ages alike.

Thank you Inddie Thumpers.

Year 2006:

As the precedents were set, RIDER MANIA ’06 went as planned. Madras Bulls volunteered to run the event. “Rider Mania” had already established itself as a brand by then. No sooner did the entries open, participation flowed in. The response was overwhelming and over 400 bikers participated. It was held at Casuarina Bay Beach Resort on the 21st Jan, Chennai. Riders from far East & North rode all the way.

Thank you, Madras Bulls.

Year 2007:

Come a new year and RIDER MANIA is due, yet again !! This time, Wander Lust MC Club from Nagpur took up the Herculean task of hosting the event. To make things easy, they went with the event managers who had the experience of managing the RIDER MANIA in 2005. However, tragedy stuck when the event managers failed to deliver and wrapped up business less than a month before the main event.  This was a huge deterrent. Since things were at the last lap, replacing the vender was not an option. Wander Lust re-grouped and marched right out of their shock. They were a team of strong & determined riders and this temporary set-back, didn’t hassle them too long.

The boys were back in action and the event started taking shape again. Countless tiring days and sleepless nights later, RIDER MANIA 2007 was standing on its own feet. Approximately 199 Bikers participated. It was held at Star Key Point Resorts, Nagpur on the 24th of jan. Although the head count was a little lower than expected, the interaction was of optimal quality. People got to know each other better, they exchanged ideas, they bonded and most importantly, everyone had loads of fun.

Thank you, Wander Lust.

Year 2008:

This year was different from its predecessors. It was the year of making a new record. As always another club volunteered to host the event. And this time, it was The Wanderers from Hyderabad. It was held at Ramoji Film City on the 18th of Jan. Around 400 bikers participated and this was a record number, till date.

Thank you, The Wanderers.

Year 2009: 24th Jan

If the year 2008 was the year of setting records, 2009 proved be the year of breaking them. This time around it was the Rolling Thunder MC from Bengaluru who bagged the privilege of hosting the RIDER MANIA. They extracted from the recipe of the previous RIDER MANIAs, their combined learning, then added a dash of their own hard work & efficiency and produced the best dish ever. It was called the RIDER MANIA RTMC Ishtyle. It was held at Ooty on the 24th of Jan. A record breaking number of bikers participated, around 670 of them. They came from far and wide. Both National & International. Hoards of solo riders came along too. The key sponsors were Castrol ,Kingfisher,Lee ,Fasttrack,orazo boots ,Get off your ass and Cramster .The event was a sweeping success and people were left taking about it for months.

Thank you RTMC!

Year 2010:

It brought along one of the experienced clubs, to host the RIDER MANIA for the second time. Needless to say that experience only eases some of the hurdles but in no way does it dilute the effort put behind organizing such a gigantic event. The club with the task of running the show needs to introduction, it’s none other than our very own Inddie Thumpers from Mumbai. They had their minds set on breaking all previously set records and making this event the grandest of them all. And they did just that !! The event was named as RMX and was held at Vikram Garh on the 24th of Jan, at a resort on the outskirts of Mumbai, flirting along the borders of Gujarat. RMX attracted riders from across continents. And what was only hoped for became a reality. Around 650 riders joined the fest . End of the day one can proudly say “all’s well that ends well”. RMX was a grand success and now it was time for yet another club, another location and another RIDER MANIA for 2011.

Thanks InddieThumpers for taking up the second innings.

On the last evening of a RIDER MANIA, the community holds a meeting of club representatives and here is when they express their desires to host the grand fest or event. Volunteering club representatives make a presentation or they pitch why they should be given the opportunity to host the fest.  Collectively the community votes for one club and the privilege of being the host of the year, is bestowed upon that MC club to take the RIDER MANIA torch forward.

Year 2011

Eastern Bulls did give RIDER MANIA 2011 a new look and feel. Called the RM-East it was a brilliant package with a great venue ,superb bands and great fanfare of events .Held on the  the 22nd Jan 2011 the event witnessed over 650 people .The highlight was the group entry and the events along with the presence of the police bullets .The key sponsors were Kingfisher Blue ,Elf ,Videocon and Gati.

Year 2012

The Royal beasts from Delhi finally managed to own up and get voted to host Rider mania and they did  put it together to the intended scale. Held at the Western country resorts near delhi the Event saw 710 participants the largest RM till date. Major Sponsors were United spirits, Kingfisher Blue, Elf, Narmada Kidney Foundation, Durex and GATI. This year RERAM(Royal enfield Riders of Meghalaya) from Meghalaya pitched in for a different kind of Rider mania never attempted before. Far from the perils of ultra modernization and concrete structures to the North East .The brotherhood gladly voted for it decided to move it to the north east for 2013.

Year 2013

Cherapunjee more known for its rainfall was the designated place for Ridermania 2013 .Rider mania of a different kind . Far from the comforts of the flush toilets and room heaters RERAM managed to get the venue built ground up ..while the kitchen tent ensured hot food the brilliant music and the bands along with the local alcohol ensured the authentic tough and an insight into the basics of life for the people in the north east …  a true brotherhood meet .. a great autocross and some amazing bands playing ensured that freezing weather did not make too much of an impact  .The key sponsors were ELF ,Redbull , United spirits ,kingfisher blue and Gati  .

Thanks RERAM for the Awesome hospitality and all the hard work you folks put in to make it happen

BOBMC becomes a legal entity , a logo is choosen and a a BOBMC day ride is executed , the brotherhood gets stronger and its just the beginning. Special thanks to Dipesh Shah and Jack Jigg for the effort and co-ordination for making it happen .

Year 2014

From the beaches we went to the hills and then the mountains,North-South-east west and North east we have done it all and its time for the second circle again .Madras Bulls will be hosting the next version of the RM on the 18th and 19th of Jan in 2014. This is slated to be the biggest rider mania till date with over 1100 confirmed registrations.