Nat Geo & Apollo Tyres flag off ‘Apollo Flight of the Hawkz' Are you ready?

Hawkz is the SUV range of tyres from Apollo. Chosen by some of the most demanding off road and highway vehicles, it provides an uncompromising combination of driving performance and aesthetics and reliability to a wide variety of vehicles including MUVs (multi-utility vehicles) and SUVs (sport-utility vehicles). The Hawkz connotes the ‘Free Spirited’ and is synonymous with the outdoors, adventures and the challenges of driving. The Hawkz range includes specialty tyres made specifically for varying driving surfaces like the Hawkz AT for All-Terrain, RT for Rough Terrain, HT for Highways and HL for Highway Luxury.

Apollo Flight of the Hawkz finds its genesis in the Apollo Hawkz brand. It captures and brings to life the eccentric nature of the adventurer who is ever eager and free spirited. Apollo Flight of the Hawkz is a platform that brings the two together, allowing Indians from across the country to finally live the off road dream.

The seven-part series will cover unknown routes in between Lavasa in Maharashtra and Goa, with twelve participants comprising teams of two selected from across the country, competing to reach the final destination. The show will see a combination of quick thinking adventure and driving enthusiasts who own a SUV vehicle.

As part of the challenge, the participants will cover around 120 kms per day on tricky terrains, crack intelligent mind games, take up thrilling and never-seen-before adventure tasks like stand up paddling, tight rope walking, monkey crawling and also maneuver their SUVs through incomparable obstacles and of course the climax of it in every episode: the final dares which will see the participants zipline between dangerous valleys and bungee jump off a crane! At the end of this seven-day long Lavasa to Goa driving adventure, the winning team will get to go on a fully-paid adventure trip for two to Masai Mara, South Africa.

“I am really looking forward to this thrilling roller-coaster ride called, Apollo Flight of the Hawkz on Nat Geo. Apart from being the presenter of the show, I am extremely excited about off-roading and getting away from the usual, boring city life to an extreme adventure zone,” said Nethra Raghuraman, the presenter.

Interested participants can register online for Apollo Flight of the Hawkz on-ground selections by simply logging on to www.msnindia.com/natgeohawkz. Indian nationals above the age of 18 who are physically fit, have a valid driving license can apply to be a part of the challenge. People can also register on the spot at the selection venue. On-ground selections will be organised in Delhi on January 10, Kolkata on January 17, Bengaluru on January 24 and Mumbai on January 31, 2010. All participants will undergo a series of physical and mental challenges, and a medical test to make it to the final twelve.

In keeping with the channel’s commitment to conservation, Nat Geo will also be working on a carbon off-setting programme for the series. Supported by Coca Cola as the associate sponsor, the series will be extensively promoted through an innovative 360-degree campaign including on-air, on-line, print, radio and SMS. Nat Geo has tied up with MSN to create and promote a special micro site on www.msnindia.com/natgeohawkz which includes a host of features like information for the participants, videos and an interesting photo gallery. The microsite on MSN will be the only registration mode for participating.