Dakar Rally: Santosh 20th after first stage
PISCO, PERU: Grinning ear-to-ear, the usually reserved CS Santosh conveyed his happiness. A 20th place finish on the opening day out of 149 starters was perhaps an unexpected outcome for the Indian on the opening day of the arduous Dakar Rally on Monday.
Clocking a remarkable one hour, six minutes and 49 seconds on his Hero 450 RR to complete the 84km Special Stage, the biker from Bengaluru showed why he is in the world’s top league in offroad action. “I was nervous. But that is out of the way; the real Dakar starts now with the first long stage on Day 2,” said the 35-year-old of Hero MotoSports Team Rally. “After the riverbed, there was a lot of dust but I got into my rhythm. I am very happy to bring the bike home. The aim is to keep the consistency and finish the race, hopefully in the top 20.”
Finishing nine minutes, 36 seconds ahead, Spaniard Joan Barreda Bort on his Honda was the leader. After a long liaison (untimed section) of 247km, the special stage of 84 km commenced in reverse order from Lima to Pisco. Santosh’s teammate Joaquim Rodrigues of Portugal came 23rd. But despite ending the first day in 14th, the third member of the Indian outfit, Oriol Mena of Spain, was unhappy. He faced a little touchdown — he crashed trying to avoid a tricky hole in the first dune — but otherwise had a steady start.
ARAVIND 71ST
The other Indian in the fray, KP Aravind, racing for Sherco TVS Rally Factory team, did not have the start he was looking for. The 33-year-old clocked 1:24.23 to end the first stage 71st out of the 135 who completed the day.
With a long race ahead, pace and consistency will be key for Aravind, who is hoping to complete the rally for the first time on his third attempt.
With all the riders warmed up to the Dakar and Stage 1 in the bag, the rally will move to San Juan de Marcona for the second full stage of 553 km, which includes the tough 342 km of special stage in the Peruvian dunes and South American summer heat.