Martin Da Costa, might be the founder of the Seventy Event Media Group, but to people like you and me - I'm talking about bikers - he is the reason that the Indian Bike Week exists. We got a chance to have a quick chat with the man himself about India's largest biking festival.
autoX: Can you tell us how IBW came into being? Was it your idea?
Sort of. All the guys at my office are all bikers. I have seen how the world’s big bike weeks like Sturgis have been huge successes and so I have been wanting to do one for a very long time, but just didn’t get around to it. We have been working with Fox TV and Harley Davidson for some time now and so Keertan Adyanthaya, MD Fox International Channels, Anoop Prakash, MD Harley Davidson India, and I all got together and we thought out a way to start an Indian Bike Week, so you could say we are the founders.
autoX: Tell us a little bit about yourself and the biker in you. What bikes do you ride now?
Oh well, I have been in India since 1995 and for my first four years, well I basically only rode my 1983 Royal Enfield motorcycle. I rode all over India and practically lived on that bike, but then, you know, once wife and kids get into the picture you need a car, and so I bought my first car in 1999. I still have that same Royal Enfield bike, and I do go out on joy rides every week, and I just like that bike so much that I haven’t found a need for another.
autoX: How is the second year different from the first year of IBW?
Well this year its going to be much larger of course, and, more importantly, there is going to be more bike content - so, there will be more for bikers to do and experience. There will also be twice the number of bikes on display, some of which are over a century old. We have also extended the Biker Build Off to include another class to honour India’s best bike customizers. Then we've got guys flying in from, not just all over India, but from all over the world to be part of the IBW. We will also expect to see a lot more bikers in attendance, since we had a great first year.
autoX: What do you wish the people who attend IBW take back with them?
The IBW is the one time in the year when people can look forward to meeting fellow bikers from all across the country. You get to meet like minded people just like you, and it doesn’t really matter what you ride. It feels good knowing that a biker can come down and share the experience with other bikers, and that is basically what we want to achieve.
autoX: What was your favorite IBW moment in the first edition ?
My favorite moment last year was when Vijay from Rajputna Customs won the Biker Build Off. His bike was so beautiful and looked just fantastic. We also facilitated awards to three Indian biking legends, and we were happy to recognize their contribution towards the Indian biking scene.
autoX: What can people look forward to at the 2nd edition of IBW?
Like I mentioned, the most important thing is the biking content. We are adding much more biking content, so there is a lot more to do and lot more to see. We have special zones set up to appeal to different tastes, and then we have the entertainment factor - and, of course, the many beautiful bikes that will be on display, not to mention the new Harley-Davidson that will be launched at IBW. It takes us about 7 to 8 months to plan out what we want to do at the IBW, and I'm sure there will be some really exciting stuff for everyone to enjoy. We still don’t know what we want to do for the third edition, but we are certain it'll grow tremendously.
autoX: Royal Enfield or Harley Davidson???
I refuse to answer that question. (Martin laughs)
The second edition of the India Bike Week will be held in Goa on 17-18 Jan 2014
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