CS Santosh became the first Indian to compete in the Dakar Rally which took place in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile last year. The Bangalore-based driver not just managed to compete but also finished the gruesome race at a respectable 36th position. This time around the target for the Indian is to better himself. He tells Karthik Raman what extra measures he is taking to complete the 9000 km race that spans over 15 days
In a country that is deprived of motorsport talent, off-road specialist CS Santosh took one step to change that perception. This notably came about for his performance last year at the incredibly daunting Dankar Rally in South America. But it was by no means a cake walk in as he had to endure difficult moments to complete it.
To highlight his endurance and perseverance, the 32-year-old suffered shoulder injury, a nose bleed and a fractured toe but still continued to finish the race. He gave a simple mantra, a mantra champions follow, to signify his achievement: “I don’t give up easily.”
“You have to ride 9,295 km in 13 days, a whole championship in those days. You have to overcome the adverse weather conditions and you don’t get to sleep much. But, I continued because I don’t give up,” Santosh explained.
In 2015, Red Bull provided the ground support for the racer and Santosh was happy with their contribution. “Red Bull had the best athletes. It was great to be part of them and it was a huge morale booster,” he added.
Santosh traversed across Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, covering 9,295 km over two weeks, before finishing at Buenos Aires on January 17. He clocked the distance in 60 hours, 39 minutes, 20 seconds.
Dakar Rally, the most gruesome race has witnessed several fatal accidents each year. In fact, since the rally’s inception in 1979, more than 50 competitors and spectators have lost their lives.
The 32-year-old’s endurance training helped him a lot to compete the race in his first year. “I did endurance training at Spain and in other places like Himalayas and it helped me massively,” he explained.
The driver needs to maintain the same level this time as well for the 2016 event which starts today and runs until January 16 which is two days longer as compared to last year.
The rally will be run over a distance of over 9,000 km and about 4,500 km will mark the 13 competitive stages. There will be two marathon stages in which no outside mechanical assistance will be allowed at the end of the day. So, the riders will have to service and repair their bikes without any help.
The 2016 Dakar starts from Buenos Aires and finishes in Rosario — the hometown of Argentinean footballing icon lionel Messi.
The drivers also need to spend two nights above 3,200 metres (approx 11,000 feet). On the 5th competitive section, riders will have to deal with several high passes on their way to Bolivia, including a crossing at 4,600 metres (over 15,000 feet), which will be the highest point of the Dakar story in South America so far.
A total of 152 riders will start at Buenos Aires and Santosh will start from the 56th position.
The driver is excited about participating in his second Dakar Rally. “I’m looking forward to adding a second Dakar under my belt and to be competitive for a good position at the end of those 15 days racing,” he said.
When asked his targets for the 2016 race, “Realistically I want to finish in the top 20,” he added.
In 2015, Santosh rode a KTM 450 Rally bike, but this time he will ride a Suzuki 450. On his new bike the Indian racer added: “I spent some time with it. It will be a good development step.”
Santosh, considered as the finest off road rider in India, has won everything there is to win in Indian off-road motorsport. With numerous titles such as the 2012 Raid-de-Himalaya title, three-time winner of the National Supercross Championship, three-time time winner of the Gajaba Supercross in Sri lanka, the driver moved to rallying couple of years ago.
On his rallying experience, he said: “First time it was difficult, but now I am adapted to it.”
Notably in 2013, Santosh competed in world country championship. But, a fire accident cut short his race and he had a long recovery period to return back to his full fitness. Despite the incident, Santosh never for a moment taught about quitting the sport.
“I never consider it [quitting]. It wasn’t a reality check as it was part and parcel of it (racing),” he added.
Santosh’s racing career began when he was 18. “TVS racing spotted me at the age of 18 and thus began my journey. They have been instrumental and without them I wouldn’t be here,” he added.
However, Santosh does not have a clear idea about why he chose this form of racing. “I don’t know, everybody has different things,” he added.
“I tried road racing, but off road is interesting. In the off road racing, the importance is more on the rider than the bike. It depends 70 percent on the rider and 30 percent on the bike,” he added.
When asked how much support he received from his family to pursue his dream, Santosh replied, “Initially they were hesitant. But over the years, they have grown to support me.”
The Bangalore-based drivers racing career would have inspired many young bikers in the country and he has only one message for the young drivers and that is to enjoy the journey.
“The journey is the most important thing than the destination. You should enjoy the process. The result is only a culmination of it,” he said.
“Even I want to finish the 2016 Dakar Rally in the top-20, but the journey to reaching it will only make it more interesting.”