2 Para Join Desert Rose

As part of the ongoing feasibility review of the British Army’s potential use of motorcycles in an operational capacity, Desert Rose Off Riding Academy were delighted to host a cohort of future riders and instructors from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment. It has been over a decade since motorcycles were used to any large extent by the British Military but clearly their light weight, manoeuvrability, single track footprint and ease of deployment has huge operational benefits. With the advances being made in electric motorcycles, it seems obvious that their use should be considered. Desert Rose were chosen as the training partner for the Paras due to our experience in both taking part in and supporting some of the toughest rallies in the world, along with our established training credentials.

Patsy Quick, founder of the Desert Rose Group said “It has been a privilege to work with the Paras and easy to understand why they would see the operational benefit of using motorcycles. The lads who joined us on the training course were a great bunch, open to learning and willing to literally throw themselves into every training exercise.” The week-long training programme started on the Desert Rose fleet of Beta enduro bikes and then moved on to a range of electric motorcycles, including the Talaria Sting, Caofen F80 and FX models, EM Epure Race trials bike and the Stark Varg motocross model. The Desert Rose structured rider training programme includes bike handling skills, body positioning techniques for tackling off road terrain, dealing with hill climbs and descents, tackling ruts, crossing water and negotiating streams and other obstacles. This was supported with sessions on bike maintenance and field repairs along with improvised bike transport techniques.

Paul King
13th December, 2023

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