CS Santosh gears up for Dakar with best-ever finish in Morocco

CS Santosh finished 15th in the Rally of Morocco

Bengaluru, October 11: Having stepped into the sport more than a decade ago, one of India's most successful off-road racers has yet again put on another good display. CS Santosh wrapped up the OiLibya Rally of Morocco, ending up 15th, which incidentally is his best-ever finish in the rally.

The Morocco rally, which has five arduous stages came to an end on Tuesday with KTM's Matthias Walkner reigning supreme.

The fifth and last stage, which was not as gruelling as the earlier four rounds was a 180km ride against the clock in the area around Erfoud. Though in a relief to the riders the last stage of the rally turned out to be better unlike the previous stages which had been affected by bad weather and flooded riverbeds.

The final round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies turned out to be good test for the riders ahead of the gruelling Dakar which begins on January 6. And it was double delight for India, as both Santosh and Aravind K P mastered the tough and demanding conditions of the rally to notch up fine finishes. While Santosh finished 15th compatriot Aravind ended up two places above him. Aravind also bettered his last year's performance where the Bengaluru lad had finished 26th overall.

Santosh who bettered his last year's show (an overall 30th place finish) en route to his best-ever finish, was content with the way things panned out, specially as he was riding a new bike.

Speaking after his good show in Morocco, a content Santosh told Khel.com, "The Olibya Rally of Morocco is usually the final test before Dakar. This year we had our new bike and it exceeded my expectations! I had a great time racing and paying attention to my navigation as this is a high-speed rally with lots of dangers and some tricky navigation."

Moreover the Bengaluru lad was happy that he was heading towards Dakar on such a good note, specially having had a successful ride with his new machine.

"I'm happy that overall I bettered my performance from last year and I take this with me to the Dakar," the 33-year-old added.