Royal Enfield completes 90° South mission
Royal Enfield has successfully completed 90° South, the first-of-its-kind motorcycle expedition to reach the Geographic South Pole. The mission was a 28-day expedition traversing Antarctica with a 400 km ride from 87 Degree South to the South Pole, on Royal Enfield Himalayans.
The expedition is in celebration of the 120-years journey of Royal Enfield and a tribute to all expeditioners and riders across the world.
Royal Enfield created history by successfully completing the 90° South expedition, its quest for the South Pole on the Himalayan. This endeavour is a tribute to the brand’s commitment to pure motorcycling, and to the courage and resilience of innumerable riders and explorers who have made history with their motorcycling journeys.
On December 16, 2021, two riders Santhosh Vijay Kumar and Dean Coxson, reached the geographic South Pole in 15 days, making this ambitious attempt a reality.
The team arrived at Novo in Antarctica from Cape Town for four days of acclimatisation, loading of supplies, checking equipment and the motorcycles. From Novo, the team covered an overland distance of 3200 km over the next nine-days braving extreme climatic conditions with temperatures between -30 to -25 degrees and wind speed of 60 km/h, towards Ross Ice Shelf.
Located in the extreme south of the continent, Ross Ice Shelf was the designated start point for the riders. However, an unexpected blizzard forced the team to alter the course. Instead of starting the ride from 86 South, the team started the ride from 87 degree South.
Despite a few initial road-blocks and a slight detour, the expedition team completed the quest on December 16th, 2021, thus creating history.
For this expedition, two Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycles were modified in-house, with functional upgrades to be able to navigate snow and ice to ably function under extreme conditions in Antarctica.
The motorcycles were ridden on a compacted snow track to the South Pole, to reduce motorcycle drag and limit emissions to an absolute minimum. Royal Enfield is consciously ensuring no footprint is left behind by the expedition team except wheel tracks that will quickly be lost to snow drift. In line with our #LeaveEveryPlaceBetter initiative, the team is ensuring all waste, including human waste, is brought back for appropriate disposal.
Currently the team is heading towards the western part of Antarctica, Union Glacier, from where they will fly out to Punta Arenas, Chile.
