Santosh out of Dakar rally, Sam rewarded for gesture
AREQUIPA,PERU: The marathon stages of the Dakar Rally take a toll on man and machine. And the two phases lived up to their notoriety, putting several participants out across categories.
The fifth stage proved disastrous for CS Santosh, the only Indian to have completed the rally (thrice), as he crashed out in the 776 km fifth stage from Moquegua to Arequipa, with 345 km special stages.
The Hero Motosports Team Rally rider had a heavy crash between Waypoint 4 and 5, ending his fifth Dakar attempt. The 35-year-old suffered back and hip injuries and was airlifted to a hospital in Tacna. The Bengaluru rider’s condition is stable and he has been admitted in a hospital here.
“It was quite a difficult day for us with the news of various crashes coming out from the stage. Santosh had a nasty crash and couldn’t continue. It’s quite sad because he was probably riding his best Dakar yet,” said Hero Motosports Team Rally manager Wolfgang Fischer. “At the same time, we’re happy he is doing okay and currently getting the best medical care possible.”
Britain’s Sam Sunderland was awarded the stage, moving up to second overall behind American Ricky Brabec. He lost more than 10 minutes after stopping to help Honda rider Paulo Goncalves, who suffered a head injury and fractured his right hand in a crash. The stewards adjusted the time, putting him on top for the stage, and overall second.
The presence of fesh-fesh (powdery substance on the desert terrain) impaired visibility, and stones hidden on the route made it even more dangerous. The latter part of the stage had almost insurmountable dunes.
Santosh’s teammates – Spaniard Oriol Mena and Portuguese Joaquim Rodrigues -- both crashed once. Mena’s crash was bad as he lost his bearings for some time but somehow came in at four hours, 24 minutes and 47 seconds, finishing the stage 16th.
Rodrigues cashed in on the rhythm he struck to gain positions, finishing 18th(4:25.36). Overall, at the half-way stage, Mena retained his overnight 12th spot while Rodrigues climbed three spots to 28th overall.
TVS rider KP Aravind is the only Indian left, finishing 53rd (5:59.48). He was docked a 30-minute penalty, after being penalised six minutes earlier. Still, he is halfway towards achieving his aim of finishing the Dakar for the first time in his third attempt. He is 54th overall.
After Saturday’s rest day, it will begin with Stage 6, backtracking to Lima via San Juan de Marcona and Pisco.